Cupid's Rejects
by Starberry Pie
Summary: After being sadistically humiliated by Sasuke, Sakura decides settling for Naruto won't actually be so bad. Problem is, he just realized Hinata's got a thing for him, right when Kiba hoped she'd give up. Can Sakura and Kiba save eachother from losing out?
1. Crush or Be Crushed

Cupid's Rejects

Disclaimer: One day, I'll surely write a manga of my own, but until then, I'll have to mooch off of Kishimoto Masashi-san's Shonen Jump hit, Naruto, which is not mine.

"Okay, team," Kakashi called. "That'll do for now." He closed and pocketed his travel-sized Icha Icha as his three sweaty students made their way across the grass of the training grounds toward him. "Good hustle." Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke stood before him, panting heavily. Kakashi studied them for a moment, and then his right eye smiled. "The air solidification jutsu requires precise chakra control, but you guys progressed faster than I thought you would."

Naruto chuckled. "Dattebayo!" he rasped with a crucial cheese.

"I doubt you guys won't have it mastered by the end of practice tomorrow," Kakashi continued. "Here's to you. I'll see you all at fifteen hundred hours tomorrow." Disrupting the porange horizon, Kakashi disappeared in an enthusiastic puff of grey smoke. The remaining trio set off for the village. As they treaded over the lush grass, Naruto lost no time catching his breath.

"Hah!" he laughed. "I smoked both your asses."

"Are you kidding me?" retorted Sakura. "I punished you."

"Eh?!?" Naruto cried. "...But I went higher than you, Sakura-chan."

"Pff!" she scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Naruto-kun, but it doesn't count if you fall out of the air."

"Does too!" Naruto argued. "You just can't stand that I beat you at something you're really good at."

"In your dreams, Naru-"

"But I'll forgive you," Naruto interrupted, "If you treat me to Ichiraku right now." He grinned."No way," Sakura stated plainly. "The day I treat you to Ichiraku is the day I announce to all of Konohagakure that I am your girlfriend." Sakura walked ahead, oblivious to the fact that Naruto had stopped walking.

"...Ouch," he said to himself, smiling sadly. These days, his crush on Sakura was a tender subject, and talk of it was basically taboo since he sulked until he forgot about it. Not that Sakura cared.

There was silence for time as Team Seven passed a barn, an abandoned fruit stand, and then a park. The pink and orange blend of the sunset had melted into a dusty blue, and stars had just began peeking out of the higher sky. Naruto dragged his feet as Sakura kept a brisk stride alongside Sasuke.

"You know..." Sakura said, "I wouldn't mind going to Ichiraku if Sasuke-kun were to come." Sasuke snorted. Naruto frowned, and altogether his expression said something like, "That's fucked up," but he was silent.

Not that Sakura noticed. She paid more attention to her current surroundings They had entered the town square now, and were closing in on the insersection that would separate Naruto and Sakura from Sasuke. Sakura had decided to deviate from her normal path of four years home with Naruto, and to accompany Sasuke as far as the park outside the Uchiha complex tonight. Any inquiries would be satisfied with the answer that Sakura had something urgent to tell Sasuke. It wasn't exactly a lie; the importance of the topic she wanted to discuss was simply subjective.

"What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" she asked hopefully. Sasuke closed his eyes and deliberately ignored the question, stopping for a cart at the intersection. "I know you don't normally do this sort of thing, but it's really no harm."

"...I'll pass." Sasuke answered stonely. Sakura was oddly stunned. She had really thought he'd cave this time.

"Sakura-chan, this is our turn," Naruto said, noticing she had kept pace with Sasuke.

"I-I'm going this way tonight, Naruto-kun," Sakura called back nervously. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"But.." he said, mostly to himself, "your house is definitely this way."

The street lights glowed as Sakura and her shadow trailed Sasuke. Now that Naruto had gone home, nothing should keep her from speaking her mind. She hadn't bothered Sasuke about a date for almost two months, and impatiently decided that it couldn't hurt to elaborate now about how she had felt about him since she was twelve.

"Ano, Sasuke-kun," she called ahead. "Please wait."

And he stopped. He was actually giving her a chance! She bit her lip, and then hesistantly continued, stepping forward.

"The truth is, I'm totally in love with you. I hoped that someday I could be your girlfriend and-"

"Sakura-"

"Matte kudasai, please hear me out." Sakura knew if she allowed herself to be interrupted, she wouldn't ever again have the testicular fortitude to get her feelings off her chest. She stepped closer. "I know you're an avenger, and I promise I won't get in the way of that. But... when I'm alone in my bed at night, I dare to wonder what might happen after you've exacted your revenge. Will you come back to Konoha? Will you... will you restore your clan?"

"_Sakura_-"

"Sasuke-kun, ever since I heard you say that when we were twelve, I've longed to... to become pregnant with your child, to watch my belly swell with your seed, to care for it, to rebuild your clan with you..." Sakura could feel her face getting hot, but she couldn't stop. "I know it's a lot to take in so suddenly, but it's the truth. I'd be honored to-"

"Sakura, stop it." She fell silent, Sasuke's command ringing like a gong in her ears. Sasuke took a breath, and cut into her. "Do you even listen to yourself?" he asked rhetorically. "You long to become pregnant with my child." Sakura's eyes widened. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to even hear you say that?" Sakura looked away, horrified, glad that they were at least alone.

"Sasuke-kun..." she whimpered.

"That would mean we'd have to have sex, Sakura," He continued mercilessly. Her blood chilled. "Have you wondered about that, too? When you're alone in your bed? At night?" Sakura couldn't believe this was happening. She closed her eyes tighly, shocked and mortified.

"...Push out your stomach." Sasuke's breath was warm on the back of her neck.

"Sasuke-kun-"

"Push out your stomach," he repeated. "So I can see what it looks like when your belly's swollen with my seed." Was he serious? Sakura couldn't feel the tears run down her face. This could not be happening. As she awkwardly deliberated this reality, Sasuke wound his hands around her waist and up into her kimoto, pressing them against her stomach. "Push out your stomach, Sakura."

Confused and terribly ashamed, Sakura inhaled quietly, and redirected the air into her belly. Slowly, it expanded, outlining Sasuke's hands against the abdomen of Sakura's oriental dress. Sakura held her breath, wishing that she would explode. Sasuke slid his hands swiftly up and down her stomach, consequently lifting the frontal flap of her dress and exposing the expanded waistline of her shorts.

"Do you like being pregnant, Sakura?" he hissed. "Can you feel my child kicking? Is this what you wanted?"

"I'm sorry," Sakura choked out truthfully, bringing up her hands to rub her eyes. Sasuke removed his hands and sighed.

"I'll be the one to choose who helps me restore my clan," he declared, stepping away. Sakura nodded.

Without another word, she sprinted home. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block out what had just taken place. She relied on her senses to guide her home, and narrowly missed Kiba and Akamaru while bounding home.

"What the hell?!?" Kiba yelled, jumping to the side.


	2. Reflectively

Disclaimer: Starberry Pie assumes no ownership of Naruto or any related characters.

Author's note: I really felt that, in comparison to the styles of writing I try to associate myself with, that first chapter wasn't up to par, though it definitely tore down the limitiations of propriety. Still, I can't thank you readers enough for your reviews and story alerts. Thanxabunch!

Kiba's shout wasn't loud enough to disturb the peace of the residents in the surrounding complexes, but it ought to have evoked some sort of an apology from the girl that nearly bowled him over. She was gone though, and honestly, it wasn't as though Kiba really cared. It wasn't a rare occurence anyway, being a ninja. Why'd he even have to shout? Where was the dignity in that?

Dignity seemed to be a rare commodity these days, especially after that humiliatiating defeat he was subjected to at Shino's hands. The boy still blamed his dog, who was fast asleep on his head, because it wasn't fair. Kiba and Akamaru were a team, which meant attendance at training was mandatory. It was unacceptable to sneak away during a fight, and then give no explanation upon later interrogation. A cool "ugh" was all he got from Akamaru for his mysterious disappearance, and even now, Kiba wasn't sure that he had gotten all the bugs off of him.

Kiba sighed. He couldn't stay mad at Akamaru. That was his best friend. Besides, he ought to be able to take care of himself from time to time, and to respect Akamaru's independence.

But... where the hell had he gone?

What was Akamaru doing that he couldn't even tell his best friend? It had taken Kiba about twenty minutes to track him down, and even then, it looked like Akamaru was returning to the training grounds; they'd met face to face, coming from opposite directions. And now that he thought about it, Akamaru did smell different... less feral and more domestic...

"Oi, Akamaru," he grunted.

"Uff," exhaled Akamaru. His answer could be loosely translated as something like "I'm listening," or "What do you want?"

"What's up with that smell?" the boy asked, making his way towards his family's compound. "Where'd you go today, huh?"

The dog scrambled nervously for a reply. He meant to return to training before Kiba realized he'd been gone too long to have been relieving himself, but he really lost track of time. Having come up with no plausible excuse, Akamaru settled on a defensive snort.

Kiba understood now that Akamaru was ashamed of something, and there were only a few things that could shame such a prideful dog. Since he still had his balls, and he didn't have a mate, that only left one thing...

"Akamaru," he began pensively. "...You haven't become some mutt's bitch, have you?"

In the combination of irritable barking and nipping at Kiba's ankles, Akamaru's response could be translated as something like, "Are you fucking kidding?!" or "I can't believe you'd ask me that!"

"Okay, fine, whatever." Kiba dismissed that idea, and reviewed the options.

And then it dawned on him...

Upon entrance into his house, the young shinobi was greeted by being pinned to the floor of the foyer.

"Ah, Kuromaru," he laughed, turning his face to avoid being licked on the mouth. Kiba reached up to pat his assailant, and Akamaru made a break for Kiba's room on the second level as Shiromaru padded over to receive pettings from Kiba too. Kiba indulged the dogs for as long as it took him to get up, and then departed for his bedroom immediately.

"Man, I can't believe you!" he fumed, removing his coat. Akamaru grinned sheepishly from the bed, batting at his nose in a form of apology. "Argh!" Kiba crossed over to his closet, frustrated. "Dude, I thought we agreed, 'bros before bitches!'" He ripped off both boots, slamming them onto the carpet.

Akamaru let out a sound that might be described as a hybrid between a groan and a whine, like...transcending from a whine to a growl. Loosely translated, it came out as a "Calm yourself," or maybe even an inquisitive "Is it really that serious?"

"Ah, you're right," Kiba sighed, discarding his shirt . "It's whatever. We're still good, right?"

Akamaru barked cheerfully in the affirmative. Kiba smiled, shedding his pants.

And as Kiba laid down to sleep in his boxers, he ran a hand through his hair.

"I can't believe Akamaru got a girlfriend before me," he pouted, thinking pointedly of his female teammate. As of late, Hinata didn't seem too hung up on that blond buffoon anymore, but Kiba hadn't really made a move yet. Now, it all seemed so intimidating, especially since Akamaru had scored and he hadn't. It was pretty bothersome, but Kiba resolved to grow some balls and ask Hinata out tomorrow.

* * *

Naruto was out and about the next morning, having shaken off Sakura's insensitivity. He made his way down the dirt path toward the Ichiraku. He'd decided on his game plan upon waking up; a light breakfast, and then some early training before Kakashi-sensei and the others arrived. His dedication to training would definitely make him look cooler. Yeah, yeah, it had to! It worked for Sasuke, seeing as he had Sakura-chan falling all over him.

His stomach gave a reproachful gurgle.

Perhaps not so light a breakfast, after all.

So Naruto walked briskly toward his favorite noodle stand, intent on stuffing himself.

The noodles smelled hot and good, like always, and as Naruto seated himself on his favorite stool, he was greeted by an old friend.

"HEY, BOSS!" Naruto turned his head to squint his eyes at his former charge.

"Oh, hey, Konohamaru. What are you doing here?" The twelve-year-old beamed at him.

"I JUST FIGURED," shouted Konohamaru, "THAT SINCE YOU EAT RAMEN HERE ALL THE TIME, I SHOULD, TOO!" Naruto blinked.

"...Why are you yelling?"

"What?!" asked the potential genin. "But... don't you yell all the time?" Naruto frowned.

"Three bowls of miso flavor, please," requested Naruto. The head of the stand nodded.

"THE SAME FOR ME, PLEASE!" yelled Konohamaru.

"A-Ano... Naruto-kun?" Naruto turned his head to the left to face the source of the quiet summon.

"Oh, hey, Hinata-chan," he said. "What's up?" Hinata tapped the tips of her fingers together nervously, and took a breath.

"E to... I was j-just wondering... whether you had free t-time this evening." Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"Boss!" Konohamaru whispered loudly. "I think she likes you!" He grinned and raised a pinky, the nail of which was facing inward...

The "girlfriend" gesture.

"...Eh?"

"Oh," began Hinata, "It's j-just, Kiba, Shino, and I are h...hanging out this evening, and I th-thought you'd like to c-come."

Naruto glanced at Konohamaru, who was vigorously wiggling that little finger. Suppose his conjecture was correct, and Hinata was coming onto him? What about Sakura-chan?

His stomach clenched, as it often did when he thought of her. It definitely sucked to like her, and be rejected by her as many times as she'd been rejected by Sasuke. It was finally starting to get to him. She even made stinging comments, knowing he at least had feelings for her. It burned him searingly to think that she held such little regard for his feelings.

...Would she even care if he went out with Hinata-chan tonight? Well, upon further contemplation, three guys and a girl hardly seemed like a date, unless Shino and Kiba weren't telling them something...

"Yeah, sure, that'd be great," Naruto answered. Hinata beamed

"Domo arigato, Naruto-kun!" she squealed. "See you!"

When Naruto turned, he was faced with three steaming bowls of ramen and an over-eager thumbs up from Konohamaru.

* * *

Having nothing better to do, Sasuke meandered through the village until he found himself at the training grounds. There, he practiced sparring with some clones, a three-on-one match, while contemplating the previous night.

Curiously, Sasuke wondered whether Sakura would show up to training today.

A right jab whizzed past his left ear and was just as quickly retracted.

Had she told anyone about last nights strange events? Hnn...

He ducked a kunai, and thrust his knee swiftly into the abdomen of one of his clones.

POOF!

...Not likely. Judging by the way she ran away last night, she was probably too embarrassed.

He leapt into the air, avoiding some shuriken, and spun to the left to avoid a kick in the face.

...Not that he cared. Besides, for all her declarations of love, Sakura probably liked it.

Sasuke smirked, and charged with a raised fist toward a doppelganger. It disappeared.

He dared himself to remember what had happened. Did he seriously make her blow up her stomach and pretend to be pregnant?

"Haha..." He let a laugh escape as he jumped into a tree, concealing himself.

It had been rather silly, hadn't it? He'd even rubbed her belly and pretended with her, for a moment. _"Do you like being pregnant, Sakura?"_

Sasuke laughed, giving away his position. He was whacked in the back of the head as a consequence, and fell from the tree. The grass was soft on his back. He looked up at a smirking clone of himself, and rolled over to evade having his face smashed by the other one's foot. By the time it had landed, Sasuke was up and squatting. He whipped his leg out and sent the doppelganger falling backwards. It landed sprawled, grimacing.

POOF!

The whole thing was ridiculous, but Sasuke might not have lost his patience and patronized her if she hadn't confessed her love to him so potently. She came on too strong. Love this, babies that, and just when Sasuke thought she had finally calmed down.

The last doppelganger was no longer in the tree, which was to be expected, but Sasuke couldn't be sure. A ninja must look underneath the underneath. The last one was guaranteed to pull out all the stops in a valiant effort to nail him.

Whoosh!

...What was that?

Sasuke took a sudden backhand to the face. He let himself fall, somewhat embarrassed.

Yeah, it had been pretty embarrassing, just hearing all that. Such a passionate confession, and Sasuke didn't really doubt the veracity of it. But it was audacious. Sakura had begun to say she be honored, almost as though he had offered! A challenge to his autonomy...

Sasuke sprung upward off of his palms in the way of most karate films, and took a stance. Quickly locating the clone, he made the hand seals necessary to perform the air solidification jutsu, and focused his chakra. Charging at a nearby tree- actually, the one he had previously been knocked out of- he pushed his feet outward and used the tree as a means to rocket himself into the air.

For all he knew, Sasuke might just return to Konoha in the future and seek out Sakura. In all his fervor, he might even make love to her until babies poured from between her legs. But if he knew anything, it was that he would be the only one to decide his destiny.

Sasuke's sandaled foot touched on something hard, a surface he couldn't see. Quickly, he searched out his copy, focusing his chakra so as to hold the jutsu a little longer. It wouldn't last indefinitely, as Kakashi had taught the team the day before. He jumped up again, rising higher into the air. He relaxed his chakra, and the jutsu expired.

As Sasuke free-fell from the air, he blew a ball of fire into his hand and grasped it. And as he fell, he really looked like he might have come out of the sun. With as much force as he could muster, Sasuke drove the raging fireball into his doppelganger, and it smouldered away in a fiery "poof."

"...SHOWOFF!"

Sasuke dusted himself off and turned to see an outraged blond glaring at him from across the training grounds. He smirked.

"Knucklehead..."

* * *

Sakura had slept dreamlessly last night, and upon waking, she immediately regretted it. It was much better to be asleep. When she closed her eyes again, though, it was different, black behind her eyelids. She was alive, aware, and all she could do in her attempt to feign sleep was to substitute fantasies for dreams.

That didn't work out so good.

Her favorite fantasy was a simple one, yet she constantly found herself altering it to perfect it. It always began the same way, though; an older, pregnant version of herself was making dinner in a cheerful looking kitchen. It had green walls, upon which were hung brightly painted still life paintings, and elaborate white crown moulding. She was stirring something in a pot, miso soup, and it smelled amazing. She hummed to herself, swirling the soup with one hand while cradling her belly with the other.

The fantasy version of Sakura was totally oblivious to what would happen next, but the real Sakura knew that in any minute, Sasuke would slip through the door, remove his boots and wolf-themed ANBU mask- or maybe it should be raven-themed?- and sneak into the kitchen. It was then that he would rap his arms around her from behind, smoothly caressing her swollen belly, and inquire as to how his baby was doing.

Needless to say, that adorable fantasy had been ruined last night by Sasuke's condescedence.

So Sakura forced herself to throw off her soft, red comforter and go take a shower. She turned on cold water to make sure she didn't spend too long in the shower, but she ended up turning it to luke warm.

Having successfully staved off those embarrassing memories, she faced her kimoto. Ah, it was almost disgusting to look at it. It made her remember where Sasuke's hands had been.

She shuddered, and forced herself to pull it down over her head.

Try as she might though, she couldn't get away from the embarrassment. It followed her naggingly as she trekked toward the dreaded training grounds. She finally quit trying as she came to the intersection.

She'd spent the rest of the evening in her room, crying. It had obviously been too soon to reveal her desire to have his children, but did he really have to go that far? That... sucked, and it was startling how the situation mocked her favorite fantasy. Had been merely a coincidence, or had Sasuke already known...?

Sakura looked up from the dirt road to find see the park. In the daylight, children slid down slides, twirled over twirling bars, and climbed over jungle gyms. Sakura gazed over at the swings, and to her horror, noticed a young boy being pushed on the swings by his pregnant mother.

"ARGH!" groaned Inner Sakura. "What the hell?!"

The next time Sakura looked up, she realized she had reached the training grounds. A wave of fresh shame washed over her. In this open space, she felt vulnerable, awkward, violated, as though her thoughts really could be seen.

She already knew that even looking at Sasuke would be impossible.

"Hey! Sakura-chan!"

Her stomach dropped. If Sasuke didn't already know she was here, which was improbable, he and anyone within a five-mile radius knew now. Naruto's voice just carried like that.

"Hey, Naruto-kun," she replied stiffly. "Why are you here so early?" The boy grinned, and Sakura noticed that his face looked more mature. He looked older, and Sakura had to remind herself that he was sixteen now, not twelve, and that it wasn't so strange.

"I figured I'd get in some training before Kakashi-sensei got here," he answered. When had his voice gotten so deep...?

"I see," Sakura replied, taking in all the developments she'd ignored while obsessing over Sasuke. It wasn't so surprising that he'd grown taller, but everything else was fascinatingly different. "Good for you."

"Heh," Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Until Kakashi-sensei arrived, Sakura was Naruto's entranced audience. She felt oddly left out as she watched him sharpen his kunai throwing skills. His hands had even gotten bigger, and each time he glanced over to make sure she was still watching, Sakura found herself studying the definition of his face.

Naruto-kun looked... good.

Maybe ignoring Sasuke wouldn't be so hard, after all.

POOF!

"Good afternoon," drawled a lazy voice.

"YOU'RE LATE!" shouted Naruto, pointing. Then he realized he had shouted alone, and when he looked at Sakura, he noticed something...

She definitely wasn't staring at Sasuke.


	3. Melts Your Mouth

Disclaimer: Superman, Superman, fly away... do I own Naruto? Not today.

Author's note: So I think I've mastered the art of chapter extension, but still, something is not right. I'll try to write this chapter with more texture. Kudos to the reviewers; good looking out!

"Congratulations," praised Kakashi. "You've all cleared the air solidification jutsu. Nice work."

He pulled a shuriken from the weapons pouch attached to his leg and held it up for his students to see. He smiled under his mask as he turned it over in his hands, eliciting perplexed expressions from his three pupils.

"Sasuke."

No sooner than the second syllable of his name was uttered did Sasuke take a defensive stance. Tori, ryu, uma... a flurry of hand seals, and then Kakashi flung the throwing star.

The shuriken disappeared.

A jutsu...?

In the forty-eight milliseconds it took for Sasuke's mind to register what had happened, he activated his bloodline limit.

There! Half a centimeter from his face!

Sasuke whirled to the right, heart palpitating. The throwing star whizzed past, and became lodged in the trunk of a tree, now visible.

Four seconds.

"Good defense," smiled Kakashi. Sasuke smirked, having barely escaped the elite Copy Ninja's attack.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto began slowly. "That... that shuriken definitely disappeared!"

"Shrewd as ever, Naruto," replied the jounin.

"Haha, so funny," retorted the blond, annoyed. "What's a teacher's example worth if you don't break it down?"

"Point taken," agreed Kakashi. "Care to elaborate?"

Naruto's scowl melted into a look of deep thought. Eyebrows knitted, Naruto licked his lips. "It was masked by a jutsu, wasn't it?"

"Right again, Naruto. The weapon concealment jutsu. Shall we begin?"

Once they learned the seals, they began practicing. Every time Naruto looked over at Sakura to compare himself to her, he found her counter glances lasting a bit too long. Green eyes met blue ones and for the bluemillionth time, Naruto looked back at his own hands. He touched the pads of each fingertip to its corresponding twin on the other hand. He quickly curled down his to index fingers and touched his thumbs to his chest.

"Tori..."

He then laced together all his fingers with the exception of his pinkies, which were extended downward and touching at the tips, and his thumbs, curled over one another at the top."Ryu..."

Palms facing inward, he quickly intertwined his middle, ring, and pinky fingers. He created something of a roof with the tips of his two index fingers as they touched, and he tucked his thumbs down.

"Uma...!"

The shuriken flew forth and blinked into invisibility before becoming visible again.

He'd definitely have to do it faster next time.

And then Naruto looked up to find himself the object of Sakura's scrutiny...

Again.

Blushing, he scratched the back of his head.

Training continued until Kakashi called for them to stop. Before evaporating into a happy poof, the jounin informed them that training was to resume at fifteen hundred hours tomorrow. The three chuunin scraped up their discarded weaponry and began their trip home.

And it seemed like a really long trip, today.

Sakura felt like she was trekking back from some faraway place, like she had returned from a mission and not the training grounds.

She let out a sigh, and blew away a bothersome mosquito.

The air was cooling, now, and it left her feeling sticky, sweaty, filthy. The clean air was taunting her with its breezes.

_Whatever,_ she thought defensively. _I'll just take a shower._ And then she'd sit outside, clean, and the wind would have no choice but to blow around her fresh scent.

And her guilt.

A shower couldn't wash away her regrets. To have discounted Naruto these past few years in favor of Sasuke... maybe she'd feel a little better about herself if she had devoted herself to training, like Sasuke. Then at least he would have a degree of respect for her.

But, to be honest, her progress as a kunoichi wasn't hurting. She had finally made it to chuunin, working toward jounin... she was fine.

Only, she was dissatisfied with herself.

It pained her to think herself a bitch. She was aggressive, yes, but she had really been hoping that she had mellowed out. She worked so hard, consciously pacing herself with Sasuke, and in a burst of impatience, had wrecked her hopes of ever winning him over.

Well, he wasn't so great. He was actually a little weird. Still, she couldn't say she wasn't weird, too. Those fantasies of hers... ah. She shuddered. Naruto looked over, concerned.

"Ah... it's just a little chilly."

"Want my jacket?" Naruto offered, unzipping the front of his orange and black jacket.

"Ano..."

Sakura considered taking the jacket. Could she possibly begin to repair all the damages she'd caused by accepting that jacket?

How selfish. It was pretty scandalous, how she had suddenly noticed Naruto-kun's face, his body, his voice. Stupid girl. She missed him like she really had gone somewhere. Even though she had gone numb, she should be properly ashamed of what had happened yesterday. Yesterday.. it was only yesterday.

"That's alright Naruto-kun, I'm f-"

Too late. The jacket was off, extended towrd her nonchalantly in the grip of Naruto's fist. Wordlessly, she accepted it. And Naruto fought back a powerful grin.

Sakura slipped the jacket over her shoulders effortlessly. It was too big, and it took every ounce of Naruto's will not to cheese at this image. She quickly zipped it up and rolled the sleeves up to her wrists.

"Arigato," she said quietly, stuffing her hands into the pockets.

"Dou itashimashite," Naruto replied, jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants.

She started to wonder what Sasuke had thought she was pathetic for accepting the jacket, or if he even cared, but then she decided she didn't care. She was done chasing him now, it was time to grow up.

If only she hadn't stupidly wasted all that time.

Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Naruto.

...The black wifebeater suited him.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly. It was only human, to be attracted to another, but dignity was what separated the sophisticated from the shameless. It was too soon, but Sakura could already see that this fascination would turn into an obsession if left unchecked.

This time she would pace herself properly, patiently, and give herself time to fall for Naruto, if that was what was going to happen. She resisted the urge to sniff the collar, holding her head up.

...Freak.

They reached the intersection, and it was time to turn.

Naruto hesitated.

"Naruto-kun?" called Sakura, and he turned around. She had stopped and was waiting for him to continue.

"Uh... Hinata-chan invited me out to dinner with her team, so I'm going home later."

"Oh..." Sakura said. "Demo, your jacket!"

"Daijoubu desu yo!" he called.

If Sakura-chan cared that Naruto was hanging out with another girl tonight, she didn't show it. He almost felt guilty, but he didn't look back, for fear of getting caught in one of those eye traps again.

* * *

"This is bullshit."

Shino looked to his right at the disgruntled boy next to him. Kiba was wearing a nasty scowl as he watched Naruto walk into the restaurant, underdressed in his wifebeater.

Hinata stood and beckoned to him. "Naruto-kun!" She called. "Over here!" A pale forearm waved frantically at an oblivious Naruto.

No wonder she had dressed up.

"Oi, Hinata," he barked. "What's that guy doing here?"

"I invited Naruto-kun to c-come out with us," she informed him softly. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Yeah," he answered bluntly. "I thought it was just you, me, and Shino going out tonight."

"It's... it's n-not like we're a c-club or something, Kiba-kun," she replied boldly. "This way, Naruto-kun!"

"That's not the point, Hinata."

"I thought you and Naruto-kun were f-friends. Did something happen between you guys?"

"No, but I-"

"Hey Kiba!" greeted Naruto. Hinata slid over to make room for him in the booth. "What's up Shino? Oh, hey, Hinata-chan, you look nice."

"O-oh," blushed the girl. "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun."

In a false indifference, Hinata slipped out of her white cardigan. Two pale, somewhat freckled shoulders debuted over a powder blue tube top.

Thump.

Naruto inattentively observed the menu in front of him. Shino's eyes widened behind his glasses.

And Kiba groaned.

"Konbanwa, welcome to Shiktang restaurant."

The group looked to see their waiter, equipped with a large pitcher of water.

"My name's Jaemin," he continued, filling each of the empty glasses on the table. "I'll be your server this evening. What can I get you?"

"Do you have any ramen?" blurted Naruto.

"Uh, no, but we do have some naengmyeon."

"Neingumiyon?"

"It's spicy noodles," explained the waiter.

"I'll have that, then,' Naruto decided aloud. "And some lemonade."

The waiter took out a pen and paper, and copied the order. "For you, miss?"

"Well... the... k-karubi looks good. M-may I have that, with s-some lemonade as well?"

"Of course," affirmed the waiter. "Sir?"

"I'll have the pulgogi," Kiba ordered through gritted teeth. "Water's good." The waiter nodded, and looked at Shino.

"...Kimu chi."

The waiter collected the menus and retreated to the kitchen to input their orders.

"So, what kind of restaurant is this, anyway?" Naruto auctioned, swirling his water with his straw. "I've never heard of any of that food before."

"I d-don't really know," offered Hinata quietly. "K-Kiba-kun, we came here on your suggestion... wh-what kind of restaurant is this?" She turned her eyes to his, and she raised an eyebrow.

Kiba looked strained, almost like he was in pain, and there was now a considerable distance between him and Shino.

"It's Korean," he answered, struggling to compose himself. He shot Shino a look, and received a blank stare in return. "It's actually pretty good, if you don't mind spicy things."

"I don't mind spicy food at all," boasted Naruto. "There's no food too spicy for me."

"Is that right?" Kiba queried challengingly, focusing on the developing face off and not Hinata's bare shoulders. Hinata's bare shoulders... and the graceful swoop of her collar bone... and the soft line of her clea-

"So da na," assured the blond, an eyebrow cocked. "What about you?"

"Oh, I love spicy food," parried Kiba. "I come here all the time and order peppers as an appetizer."

"Raw p-peppers?" sputtered Hinata.

"Of course," lied Kiba, resisting the urge to oggle her chest again. "They're the best kind."

"Here you are," alerted the waiter, setting drinks down on the table. "Your food will be ready shortly."

"Then why don't we order some?" proposed Naruto. "Waiter, do you have any peppers?"

"Yes, would you like some?"

"A bowlful, please."

"Sure thing," smiled the waiter.

* * *

"Here are the rules," Shino announced. "First one to clear his plate wins."

"Chotto matte yo," Kiba interrupted. "Let's make it a little more interesting." Naruto chuckled.

"What are you betting?"

"Winner... winner takes a kiss from Hinata-chan for dessert." Kiba glanced at a surprised Hinata. "You don't mind, do you, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed powerfully, considering it, and settled on shaking her head timidly.

"And the loser?" Naruto queried obliviously.

"Loser is denied any refreshment for the whole dinner," Kiba decided. He extended a hand across the table. "Good?"

"...Good." They shook.

"Ok, " Shino said, "Ready?" Kiba lowered his head to his opponent, and received the same respect.

"Ikimasho!" ordered Shino, and-

Red peppers flew onto the table as hands swooped down onto the plates. Naruto's hand swept the circumference of his plate to collect as many peppers as his hand could hold. Some fell back onto the plate, and he wondered if he should go back for more, when Kiba retracted his hand, peppers piled into his his palm and impaled on his daggerous nails. Quickly, Naruto shoved the peppers into his mouth.

Hinata held her breath unknowingly, pleading mentally for Naruto to chew a little faster.

Kiba chewed hard, tolerating the heat that suddenly burst from the peppers. Hinata glanced over at him to check his progress. He braved a wink.

Naruto crushed the peppers in his mouth, stupidly caressing the mashed vegetable-bombs with his tongue. He expected them to be hot, and they were, but his tongue was slowly smoldering away. He swallowed hard and pressed the next fistful into his mouth.

Kiba launched the next set into his mouth, about four or five peppers, and chewed as fast as his mouth would allow. The sting was getting to him, but he ignored it. If he could kiss Hinata tonight, maybe he could spark an attraction. Maybe she'd even forget about Naruto...

Naruto's eyes were watering, but he knew better than to rub them with pepper all over his hands. He was hoping his tongue would go numb, but no such luck. Looking up, he saw Kiba reach toward his plate for another handful. Naruto's hand shot out and sprang back with more peppers. Kiba watched disbelievingly as Naruto bit down over the peppers.

Liquid fire seethed over his tongue. He opened his mouth and sucked in a big breath, but he only fanned the flames.

Crunch, crunch.

Shino scrutinized the plates for a hint. He wouldn't know who was closer to finishing unless he counted. Ichi, ni, san, yon-

Kiba's hand crashed down onto his plate as he scooped up another handful of peppers. Naruto followed suit, swallowing hard.

"Ack!" he gasped, hesitating to stuff his face. Hinata watched with baited breath and fingers crossed. He forced the chilies into his reluctant mouth.

Ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku... Shino counted six peppers on each plate. Tears were streaming down the faces of both contestants, but they continued chewing miserably. Naruto couldn't imagine losing with his mouth ready to erupt into flames, and Kiba didn't want to miss out on dessert.

Gulp.

Both contestants eyed eachother warily as they swallowed. Hesitantly, they reached out toward their plates, and each grabbed anxiously for the last of the peppers.

Naruto's cheeks were burning on the inside, but he couldn't force himself to chew any faster. He was sure those peppers would burn a hole in his face...

Kiba was chewing with his mouth agape, sucking desperately for air. It was really hard to chew now, and he was certain his mouth would commit a mutiny and he'd get a cramp in his jaw...

Gulp.

Kiba collapsed forward onto the table.

"Winner!" announced Shino.

"Argh!" cried Naruto, despair muffled by mashed chillies.

Kiba drained his glass of water immediately.

* * *

Hinata froze as Kiba leaned in toward her. There was no backing away; she was pressed against the grating brick of the restaurant. Her thoughts turned to Naruto, who was beyond Kiba's face, watching in interest. What would he think of her after the kiss? Kiba's face was drawing closer... this really was humiliating. She wished he'd hurry up and do it.

He did.

Softly, carefully, his lips met hers. He breathed a sigh through his nose, eyes closed. Hinata's eyes snapped shut. A few seconds passed that way, and Hinata began to panic, wondering when he meant to pull away.

He didn't.

Kiba took cautious advantage of the moment. Opening his mouth a little, he lightly stabbed the horizon of her lips with his tongue.

Her eyes burst open, mouth opening in surprise.

Kiba was humble in his raid of her mouth, not daring to extend his tongue any further than the smoothness of her lips. He breathed lightly, restrained.

His breath was in her mouth.

She retracted her lips in a strained grin, stopping the kiss. Kiba opened his eyes, mildly surprised.

"K-Kiba..."

"Whoo!" hollered Naruto. Hinata blushed, humiliated, unhappy. Shino merely observed from behind his glasses. Kiba stepped back, not breaking their eye contact.

"Hinata-"

"Congratulations, Kiba!" she cheered most fakely, cutting him off. "Let's all hang out again, okay? See you tomorrow!" With that, she dashed away in the direction of her home.

"I'd better get going, too," Naruto said. "But next time, I'll definitely crush you."

"Dream on," Kiba argued. "Any table, any time."

"Next Thursday, same time, same place?" suggested Naruto.

"Loser pays," staked Kiba.

"Don't forget your wallet," jousted Naruto. He turned and started home.

When Kiba turned, Shino was gone, but he was distracted by a sweater, lying unrememebered on the pavement. He bent down to take it into his hands.

His plans to profess his love for Hinata had been foiled by her flighty escape after the kiss, but the sweater returned to him the hope he couldn't reveal losing before the audience of Naruto and Shino. Shino... where had that guy gotten to? Eh... probably went home.

Kiba didn't need to bury his nose into the fabric to smell Hinata's skin, but he did, and he reveled in it. He would tell her upon returning the sweater to her- tomorrow, actually.


	4. Raging Hormones

Disclaimer: No, no, I don't own Naruto, I just write fanfictions.

Author's note: My apologies for taking so long updating; I must admit to procrastinating. I see we've got some new reviewers out there. Hi, good to meet you, please enjoy this next installment!

Tap, tap, tap.

Rain splattered noisily on Sakura's bedroom window. She looked upon Naruto's jacket, strewn over the chair in front of her vanity, and thought of poor Naruto without it. Had he gotten caught in the cold downpour outside?

He might get sick...

Sakura was ashamed of herself for flickering so suddenly to Naruto after tasting Sasuke's spiky rejection only the night before, but she was honest, and didn't pretend not to know why she was so upset. She didn't like to admit it, but she had been a bitch to Naruto, and now she found herself regretting it.

Had she no shame, after all?

What if she was only attracted to her other teammate out of desperation? That would be pretty fucked up... was Sakura really that bad a person?

No, she wasn't, she wouldn't let herself be. What right had she to fancy him, anyway, before even making up for all of her mistakes? That would be kind of audacious, right? Crazy girl, it was probably too late, anyway.

...But Sakura really liked that jacket.

It was warm after him, and he gave it to her... he was cool. A far better person than she was, and just as good as Sasuke...no, now better than him, too. He was the almighty Naruto!

And she was ashamed again, for putting him on a pedastal.

She really was scandalous, not braking at all, rushing into a crush on Naruto.

...Why?

Truthfully, even though she shouldn't, even though she should still be hanging her head for her late pride, dead as of yesterday, Sakura wanted to have a crush on Naruto. She wanted to like him.

...Why?

She might have only been distracting herself from Sasuke at first, but then Naruto bloomed. He was cute, attractive, handsome, sexy...?

No, no, no! Another pedastal!

She caught herself testing the boundaries of her infatuation, ripping them away, actually.

She was shameless, and now shallow.

_But_, she found herself rationalizing, _It's only natural to be attracted by one's appearance. It happens all the time... it's normal! And then you get to know that person..._

She suffered a pang of guilt as she recalled ignoring Naruto.

But she wouldn't ignore him, anymore.

She strode across the room and flicked down the light switch, pouring darkness over her room. By the moonlight, made watery with the rain washing down the window, she found her bed, and sunk comfortably into its softness.

She closed her eyes. Now it was time to forget, to replace reality with dreams...

Or carefully constructed fantasies, since dreams came with deep sleep, and Sakura was only mildly tired.

Sakura turned onto her right side, away from the window, and searched out specific images in the blackness behind her eyelids. Her cheerful dream kitchen melted into view, and she pretended to hear the sound of stirring in a pot.

Miso soup, perhaps?

And there she was, adorned with a frilly apron, cradling a boulder of a stomach. She savored this for a few moments, her secret desire to have children in general unaffected by Sasuke's rejection.

And then, the door to the foyer opened, and a tall man stepped over the threshold. Large hands came down to undo the boots. Then he placed them side by side, against the wall.

Sakura pretended to surprise herself. She ignored inner Sakura, who was scolding her for daring to return to that fantasy, but she was quieted when the ANBU fox mask was removed, and even she had to admit that Naruto was good-looking.

He smiled suddenly, apparently glad to be home, and dimples dressed his cheeks.

Inner Sakura said nothing more, allowing the real Sakura to indulge herself.

Even if she never imposed upon herself the discipline to go to sleep without these visions, or to go without any daydreams at all, Naruto wouldn't find out what she thought about him, at least not until the right time.

She just had to be patient, and not panic this time.

Sakura never got to the part where Naruto sneaks into the kitchen behind her, on account of the fact that she kept rewinding and savoring the part where Naruto smiled. Cherubs might have flown in accompanied with a choir's singing, it was so dramatic. His smile was bright, adorable, amazing...

And Sakura drifted off to sleep without even realizing it, Naruto's smile melting into a dream.

* * *

Naruto frowned.

It was hard to enjoy his breakfast with Konohamaru carrying on in his ear.

"-And that's when Iruka-sensei told us! Can you believe it, Boss? We're gonna be real ninja! Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"

Apparently, he was excited about the upcoming Genin exams.

Naruto recalled his own academy days. Ah...he sunk into the nostalgia of it. That was when he first developed the Sexy no jutsu, when he defaced the faces of the Hokages, when he hog-tied Sasuke... haha, he still thought it was funny.

"Hey, Boss," said Konohamaru, dragging Naruto back to reality. "How was your date last night?"

"Date...?" Naruto inquired.

"You know..." Konohamaru said, wiggling his pinky. "Your date with Hinata!"

"Oh, that," Naruto said, remembering the pepper contest. "It was hot."

"Woah, Boss!" cried Konohamaru. "You're a beast! How far'd you get? First? Second? Third?"

"Uh..." Naruto said, swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "We just went to the restaurant, and then we went home."

"WOAH!" Konohamaru yelled, nearly blasting Naruto off of his stool. "You guys went home?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, how was it?" the boy demanded. "Did you guys make a lot of noise? Is she a screamer or a moaner?"

Naruto choked on his ramen.

"Konohamaru," he gasped, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"How you split those cheeks! What was it like, Boss? You left your jacket at her house, didn't you?"

"Ugh, Konohamaru, you freak!" Naruto wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "You're as bad as Pervert-sennin!"

"Don't be so modest, Boss!" beamed Konohamaru. "You beat it up, right?"

"You shouldn't talk like that, Konohamaru," Naruto said. "Have your balls even dropped?"

He slid the compensation for his meal onto the counter, and then swiveled around to face a white-faced Hinata.

"AH! Hi-hinata-chan!"

Konohamaru snickered.

"A-ano... g-gomen..." She stammered, reddening. Clearly she had chosen the wrong time to approach Naruto today. Walking up behind him, all she heard was Naruto asking his young charge whether or not his balls had dropped. "I di-didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's not what you think!" Naruto cried. "It was all this guy here!" He jabbed a finger at the seat next to him. Hinata's eyes followed the direction of his arm.

There was nothing there.

Naruto realized this, and looked up, mortified. There was Konohamaru, booking away from the scene.

"Konohamaru!" he screamed.

"Sorry, Boss!" he called back. "I'm late for class!" He sped toward the academy, disappearing from sight.

"It definitely wasn't my fault!" exclaimed Naruto, blushing. "It was that little pervert!"

"P-pervert...?" Hinata repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto averted his eyes, embarrassed.

"Um," she began, "I was just wondering..." She trailed off, noticing Naruto's determination to stare at the ground. "I was just wondering whether you've seen my sweater."

Naruto looked up suddenly, the last of the red slowly ebbing away from his face. Their eyes met, and red seeped across Hinata's face again. She looked down.

"...Huh?"

"Well, I left it at the restaurant last night-" she twiddled her thumbs- "and I w-wondered if you knew what... what happened to it."

"Oh, that white one?" He asked, looking away. "Weren't you holding it when we left the restaurant?"

"H-hai," she replied, glancing upward. "B-but I think I m-might have dropped it."

Suddenly, Naruto envisioned Hinata dropping a sweater and bending over to retrieve it. She had been wearing a skirt... what had her panties looked like?

What?

"Um..."

_"How you split those cheeks!"_

No... don't think of that...! Naruto made a mental note to kick Konohamaru's ass later.

"...You dropped it?"

"H-hai," Hinata answered, looking up. The blond had a glazed look in his eyes.

"Oh..."

"Naruto-kun, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I don't remember seeing it." He looked at her.

"Th-that's okay, Naruto-kun. Thanks anyway." The red was creeping back over her face.

"No problem," He said. "I'll let you know if I see it."

"A-arigatou," she said, turning quickly away from him. "S... see you Thursday."

"Yeah, definitely..."

Naruto watched her walk away, and caught her peeking over her shoulder. She blushed furiously and and hurried into the distance.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and let his feet carry him in the direction of the training grounds. Some more early training wouldn't hurt, yeah... He'd beat Sasuke this time.

_"You beat it up, right?"_

Argh... Konohamaru, that little asshole... where'd he learn to say a thing like that, anyway? And then just running off to leave Naruto to deal with Hinata... she probably thought Naruto was a pervert, probably thought he was telling everyone how he "beat it up..."

_Everything was dark, except for where a square of light was illuminating the room. The moon was bright, shining down on the bed. Two silhouettes stood out against the window._

_"Ah... Ah, Naruto-kun..."_

_"Come on, babe, I know you can go faster than that."_

_A spiky-headed shadow rose from the dark mass of the bed. The curvy shadow settled on top of him shifted backward to allow him to get up. Naruto raised his hand to cup her chin._

_"What, you tired?" he asked softly. _

_"I... can't keep up," panted the female shadow._

_Naruto smirked, his canines gleaming in the dark._

_"But I could go on for hours," he growled, his shadow of a tongue protruding to lick his lips. He grabbed her shoulders and switched positions with her, laying her down on the bed. A sliver of ivory skin peeked through the shadows._

_"Relax, Hinata," he growled. "I'll do all the work." _

_He placed his hands on either side of her head and lowered himself, his silhouette melding with hers..._

A pain jolted him out of his reverie.

"Ah..." he groaned, looking down. He stopped.

There was a serious tent in the crotch of his pants.

He looked up. Luckily, he was passing the aboned fruit stand, so no one was around.

"...Shit."

Stupid Konohamaru! If he hadn't said all that nasty stuff, Naruto wouldn't have a hard on! Did that kid even understand what he was talking about?

_"Well, how was it? Did you guys make a lot of noise?"_

In his mind's ear, Naruto heard soft thumping and creaking springs.

"Shit...!" He moaned as his appendage pulsed achingly. How the hell had this happened?

_"Is she a moaner or a screamer?"_

_"Ohhh, Naruto-kun! Ohhhhh...! AH!!!"_

It was definitely really hot outside. Naruto wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Sweat.

He definitely couldn't go to training like this. He couldn't even imagine how that was gonna go down. Turning, he decided to go home.

Wait... that would mean walking back through town center.

Awww, maaaan...

What to do, what to do? Naruto began to panic. What if someone passed through the woods? What if they saw him like this?

From the beginning of this whole ordeal, Naruto had been pushing one solution further and further toward the back of his mind, but with no cold streams around and a strong urge pushing it's way to the top of Naruto's tip, Naruto had run out of options.

_There's no other way..._

No sooner than Naruto allow himself to consider this did he begin to calm down. Yes, he had to do this, he really had no choice. It wouldn't be so bad actually, and he was already so close... actually, he thought he felt moisture pooling on the tip of it already.

He had to hurry.

Naruto looked around, and deviated from the worn out path leading to the training grounds. There were thick trees everywhere.

Good, they'd definitely give excellent cover.

Which one, though?

Naruto ran further into the woods, searching out an adequate spot.

His thing pulsed.

"Ah!" he rasped. Anywhere was good, just pick a spot!

Naruto settled on a thick, heavily-leaved tree nearby. He leaned against it on one hand.

Anxiety and arousal flipped in his stomach.

Unsurely, he looked down. The tent in his pants wasn't getting any smaller.

This was it...!

Slowly, he reached down, and unzipped his pants. He looked around frantically, hoping desperately that he really was alone.

Hesitantly, he lowered his hand into his pants, sliding past the waistband of his boxers.

Heat...

Lower still, his hand met the familiar tufts of his pubic hair.

Soft, closer...

Still lower, his fingertips reached warm skin.

Contact.

Carefully, he lifted himself out of the deep reaches of his boxers. A musky scent rose with the heat.

"Ah..."

His hand closed around his member, and absorbed the radiating heat.

A tiny fraction of the ache subsided, and Naruto let out a heavy breath.

He looked down.

Holding his meat carefully in his hand, he examined it. It was red and stiff, occaisionally twitching of its own accord. Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed that he had been right; a clear bead of moisture was resting on the tip.

His penis lurched suddenly, and it took a hell of a lot of his will to hold himself back. Instinctively, his hand squeezed the organ and slid down.

"Mm," grunted Naruto, sliding his hand back up to the top. Once it reached the head, it flew back down. Naruto closed his eyes, savoring the clench in his stomach. He blew out of his nose.

"Ah... that's it..."

The hand moved faster, stroking the organ faster and faster. Naruto braced himself against the tree, rooting his feet in the ground.

"That's right, baby..." he grunted, smirking. "Come on...!"

Naruto could have released the pressure at any time, but he found it much more satisfying to let it build up into an unfathomable force. Just a little more...

Naruto's hand pumped furiously, seemingly possessed by some unknown entity. Naruto knew he couldn't stop now if he wanted to, even if he got caught. He was out of control, so he had to ride it out. It was out of his hands, in a figurative sense.

"Oh...sh-shit..." Naruto breathed. It was coming, and when it did, he knew he couldn't stop it. It was creeping, slipping, rushing up his dick, and soon...

Naruto couldn't keep broken groans from forcing themselves out of his throat, but he did his best to control the volume.

"Hot damn!" he whispered. It was almost here, just a little more. He was sweating profusely now, watching the beads fall from his forehead to the ground.

As he indulged himself, he thought of letting Hinata's name out of his mouth. It was on the tip of his tongue, but if he dared speak it, it would definitely be weird. He had thought of her when he got hard, but saying her name would mean... he was _thinking of her_. Romantically.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, but if he said it, it would confirm that she was the reason for his erection. He wouldn't be able to blame Konohamaru, and he'd actally have to admit that he was enjoying fantasizing about her, which would mean he liked her, which was weird because he JUST started thinking of her in that way today...

Hinata, with tits, big ones, and a toned tummy, and tight pink pussy...

_She was leaning back on her elbows with her legs spread wide open. Her soft split peach was swollen and juicy. A soft blush dusted her face... she batted her eyes coyly._

_"Naruto-kun... Baby.."_

He saw it before he felt it. A white stream splurted out of his dick.

"Woah," he breathed, shuffling backward to avoid messing up his pants. The pressure forced itself out, hitting the tree trunk. After a few seconds, the stream was reduced to a thin pour, and then a weak dribble, like somebody had turned off a hose or something.

Naruto stood leaking for a moment, holding his hand at a distance.

Finally, he resolved to wipe his messy hand off on the tree he was leaning against, covering his palm and pieces of tree bark. With a few more attempts though, his hand returned ninety-seven percent clean. A breeze blew, and reminded Naruto that his dick was hanging out. He deposited the especially sensitive and now soft appendage back into his boxers.

He felt tired as he walked onto the training grounds, but turned his mind toward the training he was about to get into.

As usual, Sasuke was training fervorously. Upon sensing Naruto's presence, He paused. Naruto raised his unsoiled hand in a quiet greeting.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and watched Naruto walk over to an area a good few feet away, then resumed his training.

Naruto crouched down. wiping his hands on the grass below him while thinking of how he'd train today.

Alas, all he could think of was a nude Hinata on his bed.

Luckily for him, he was spent, so his organ didn't have any energy to get up.

Naruto decided on the only training he could get through his one-track mind before he even knew it. Suddenly, he was surrounded by doppelgangers of himself.

After beating the crap out of about twenty of the clones, he was left with ten. Sasuke leaned against a rail of the bridge to rest, and watched.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto looked around, forgetting about the ten copies. Before he realized what had happened, he was eating grass and dirt while the other Narutos dogpiled him.

"Ah, Sakura-chan," he mumbled into the ground.

"Konnichiwa," she greeted, bending over him. He released the jutsu, causing the remaining ten shadow clones to disappear. He sat up.

She held out a hand, and after a moment, he guiltily accepted it.

Poor Sakura-chan, she now had his skeet on her hand.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your jacket," she said pleasantly, helping him to his feet.

"Don't worry about," he said, dusting himself off.

She handed him the jacket, and he accepted it.

Now he felt even more guilty. He was supposed to be liking Sakura-chan, but he had just beat his meat to the the thought of Hinata-chan. He put on his jacket and zipped it up, hiding his muscular shoulders and arms. It smelled like laundry soap.

She had definitely washed it.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said.

"Um, Naruto-kun..." She trailed off, looking pointedly at his crotch.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"...Your fly's open."

He looked down, eyes wide.

Sasuke snickered.

* * *

AH! There she was! Just up ahead!

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Kiba yelled. The Hyuuga turned, stopping.

"Oh, Kiba-kun," she said recognizing him.

He hurried to catch up to her, holding the bundle behind his back.

"Hey," he said, stopping in front of her. He brought the bundle around from behind his back.

"My sweater!" she chirped. "You found it?"

"Actually, you left it on the ground outside the restaurant last night," he explained. "You ran off so suddenly yesterday."

She blushed, and Kiba could tell she was thinking about the kiss. He held out the sweater.

"Thank you, Kiba-kun," she said, taking it.

"No problem," he said.

As she turned he called to her.

"Hinata-chan!"

"Eh?"

He couldn't do it. He couldn't ask her out.

"...I'll see you Thursday."

She smiled, and walked away.

This was getting ridiculous.

Maybe she was too far gone, and there was no way to get her to like him. Maybe he should give up.

It wasn't fair!

That guy, he had no idea how Hinata felt. How could she still like him after all this time?

Kiba could make her happier.

He could bend her over and slam into her over and over until she collapsed. He could make her scream and sweat. And, he could do it all night long.

But she didn't know that.

Hinata was so innocent, so pure, so frail... he might break her if he was too rough.

...But he wanted to.

She didn't know that, though.

There were so many things he needed to show her, so many things she probably didn't even know existed.

She was such a good girl!

* * *

Hinata wailed, pushing the bottle as far between her legs as it would go.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" she gasped. "Harder, Honey, it's okay."

She pulled the bottle, a cylindrical shower gel bottle, until it was almost out, and then with as much force as she could, she thrust it back in.

"Oh! Th-that's it, Honey," she breathed. "Just like that..."

She had been holding it in all day, but finally, she was alone. With Hanabi at the academy, Neji on a mission with Shikamaru and Chouji, and her father meeting with her relatives in a different building of the Hyuuga complex, Hinata had the house to herself, and could wail as loud as she wanted.

She lay naked on her bed, pounding herself mercilessly. In her mind, Naruto was above her, sweating and moaning as he pushed in and out of her.

_"Do you like that, Hinata-chan?"_

"Oh, yes, very much," she said.

A hand crept over her chest and caressed one of her breasts. In her mind, it was Naruto's hand, fondling her as he made love to her.

She raised herself up onto her knees and reinserted the bottle. Her reflection gazed at her from across the bedroom, flushed and sweating, breathing heavily. She raised a hand and swept her long hair from her chest. She now had a clear view of her chest.

"Do you like them, Naruto-kun?" she asked. In her mind, Naruto continued to fondle them.

_"Yeah, they're really hot,"_ he replied. _"You're so beautiful, Hinata-chan. I- woah..."_

"What is it?" she asked.

_"I'm about to come, Hinata-chan..."_

Hinata smiled.

"It's okay, Honey, go ahead."

_"But Hinata-chan... you're so young. If you were to get pregnant..."_

"I guess you're right, Naruto-kun," she said, lying down. "We should stop."

Hinata pulled the bottle out, and paused.

"...Naruto-kun? Honey?"

"Naruto, what's- OH!"

Hinata shoved the bottle back in again.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

_"I can't stop, Hinata-chan,"_ he answered. _"I'm so close..."_

"N-Naruto-kun, please stop."

_"I can't!"_

"Naruto-kun, if I get pregnant-"

_"Then I'll take care of you, and the baby."_

Hinata moaned, pleasuring herself.

"Naruto..."

_"Please have my baby, Hinata-chan,"_ he pleaded._ "I wanna get you pregnant, and take you away from here. We'll get married, and start a family... please, I just wanna be with you."_

"Oh, Naruto-kun..."

_"I swear I'll make you happy,"_ he said.

"I'll make you happy."

Hinata pulled the bottle out quietly, her passionate whispers echoing back and forth in her head.

No one else was there.

Hinata pulled her panties back on, and reached for her bra.

Would Naruto ever say any of that?

She clasped the bra in front.

...Would he ever do any of that?

Hinata finished getting dressed.

Silently, she scolded herself for masturbating. Naruto-kun would probably be too ashamed to talk to her if he found out. She really ought to stop.

But it wasn't her fault if she felt the way, and it was only natural to make herself feel better...

But she always felt so embarrassed after.

Hinata sighed as she made her bed. She wanted to tell herself that this had been the last time, but every chance she got, she went back on her word.

What a bad girl.


	5. Taking the High Road

Disclaimer: Eenie meenie miney moe, I do not own Naruto.

Author's note: After that last chapter, it's hard to think of how to proceed with things. Also, I realize that after two years, Akamaru is a big doggie; I just didn't remember until now, so I've decided to revise one of the earlier chapters. And... I seemed to have spoiled the last chapter to the point where it just became senseless smut. Let's see what I can do to fix it. Thanks again for all your reviews, and I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

Jingle, jingle.

The glass door swung open, and the shop keeper glanced up from behind the desk. The figure was tall and blurry, but that upstanding sweep of white sitting on top of the person's head voided the need for clarity. The elderly shop keep's lips wrinkled into a smile as he resumed cleaning his glasses.

"Mornin' Mr. Kakashi."

"Good morning," he returned stiffly. The shop keeper didn't seem to notice the awkward tone with which he replied, so he relaxed a little, and made his way to the back.

It ought to have been easier to do since this wasn't the first time, but it seemed like each time grew more risky. This type of thing required careful execution, and he wasn't sure he could maintain his feigned nonchalance much longer without somebody catching on.

He turned a corner and stood before a wide shelf. The category? Horticulture. How boring. He turned to examine the shelf behind him.

_Reference..._

He turned into the next section, parallel to the "Horticulture" and "Reference" sections. As many times as he'd done this, he still couldn't seem to differentiate the two sections. Was it the third or fourth row? Ah, well, it didn't matter now. If it wasn't that one, it was definitely this one.

Yes, there! Across from the "Romance and Relationships" shelf stood the "Sexuality" section. His eyes swept the expanse of the shelf, seeking only orange...

_Aha! Found it!_

Dragging a finger across the spines of the Icha Icha series, he stopped at the latest novel. He carefully plucked it away from the shelf. Turning it over in his hands, he examined his plastic-wrapped prize.

He glanced around casually, hoping no one was watching. This really was an awkward affair, a lot like buying condoms. He'd have to make this quick.

He strode hurriedly to the front, pulling money from his pocket to tender in exchange for the naughty book.

"I'll just take this, please."

"Ah, yes," drawled the old shop keeper, taking the book to scan.

_Act natural..._

"Wait..." the old man said, adjusting his eyeglasses. "Don't you already have this one?"

"Ah..." he said, scraping his brain for a witty explanation. "That is..."

This guy usually didn't say too much, right? Real vague, "maybe maybe not", cloak and dagger type...

"...There was an unfortunate incident involving a window and a stray dog..."

"Oh," replied the shop keeper, dropping the book into a bag. "That's too bad." He jabbed a few buttons on the register. "Fifteen hundred yen, please."

He placed the money on the desk and accepted the bag.

"Arigatou," he mumbled, heading for the door.

"Wait a moment!" called the old man. He froze.

_Crap..._

He turned. The old man beckoned him closer, holding out a fist.

"Your change," the old man said.

He breathed a sigh of relief, accepted the money, and exited the shop.

He then broke into a run and disappeared into a nearby alley.

POOF!

As the cloud of smoke disapated, Konohamaru came into view, clutching a plastic bag.

"Score!" cried the voice of a stuffy-nosed boy. Udon approached Konohamaru. "You got it? Lemme see!"

Konohamaru reached into the bag and extracted a glistening copy of the latest Icha Icha, still in its "18+" wrapping.

"Woah! You really got it! Amazing! It really works!"

"I toldja," Konohamaru said, peeling away the plastic packaging. "I'm a pro at this."

"You guys," Moegi whined, "we really shouldn't be doing this. What happens if we get caught?" Konohamaru and Udon looked up at her.

"Who told you to come, anyway?" Konohamaru asked, flipping through the newly opened book. "If you're scared, go home."

Moegi pouted.

"Stop acting cool, Konohamaru," she shot. "You think you're the stuff, but you're just really immature!"

"Then why are you here?" Konohamaru asked, smirking. "If I'm so uncool, why follow me around, huh?" The shut the book and tossed it to Udon.

"I...I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble."

"Yeah, right," Konohamaru replied, noting the red tinge on Moegi's face.

"Sweet!" shouted Udon. "This stuff's really x-rated! Listen..._ The air was silent as I watched her undress through the crack in the wall-_"

"Shut up, Udon!" squealed Moegi, scrunching her face. "That's totally raunchy."

"She's right," Konohamaru said suddenly, looking around.

"I am?" Moegi asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Konohamaru said quickly. "Let's go to the park and read it there!"

Moegi groaned.

"_... She lay on her back, legs spread open, as I pushed into her juicy-looking..."_

Udon stopped reading, confused.

"Konohamaru, what's a _snatch_?"

The boy in question grinned.

"What do you think?" he asked back, leaning back until he hung upside down. Moegi made a face.

"You guys are so gross," she remarked, pulling back her legs. The swing swung forward.

"Whatever," Konohamaru said dismissively. "I'll be doing that to Hanabi one day."

"Pff," scoffed Moegi. "I doubt she even knows you exist." Konohamaru scowled.

"What's wrong? Jealous?"

Moegi extended her legs, swinging back.

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat. "She's obviously too mature for you. You're not even on her radar." She smiled, satisfied with herself.

"Well, I don't see _you_ walking around with a boyfriend!" snapped Konohamaru, pushing himself right-side up. "You're just mad that no one's interested in you!"

Udon pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Moegi pressed her feet into the sand below, stopping the swing.

"I'm not interested in a boyfriend!" she yelled. "And if I was, I definitely wouldn't want someone who just wanted to get into my pants!"

"_Who_ wants to get into your pants?!"

Udon scratched the back of his head.

"You guys..." he called quietly.

"Give it up, Konohamaru, she's never gonna get with you!" Moegi yelled, standing up. "Why does a pervert like you have such high standards, anyway?" Konohamaru hopped down from the jungle gym.

"Hey, hey," Udon counseled. "None of that..."

"So I should lower them for you?" he asked sarcastically. Moegi glared angrily.

"You can't lower your standards for someone who's out of your league, Konohamaru!" she parried venemously. "Why don't you pair up with Udon? You're perfect for eachother!" With that, she stomped away.

Udon's jaw dropped.

Konohamaru cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Don't worry about me, Moegi!" he called after her. "I'll not only get all the girls, I'll screw them all, too! Even you!"

Moegi continued to storm away, giving no indication that she had heard him.

"Konohamaru," Udon sighed. "Why are you always so harsh to Moegi-chan?"

"Chill out, Udon," he replied. "She'll get over it. She always does."

"I guess..."

"Anyways, keep going," commanded Konohamaru. "I wanna know what happens next."

* * *

_"Oh, Ryosuke," she panted. "Take me! What are you waiting for?"_

Swoosh.

Kakashi tilted his head to avoid a swift kick in the face. It was pretty hard to get to the climax when it was Sasuke he was sparring with.

_She sat up on her elbows and looked at me quizically. I-_

Woah! Kakashi jumped to the side, just narrowly missing a kick that was aimed at his crotch. He pulled his hitai ate up and away from his eye. There, now, that should do it.

_I sighed. "Kanako," I said quietly. "I'm all for risks, but this is too outrageous. This balcony is directly across from the window of the Chairman's office."_

Kakashi looked up from his book. Where had Sasuke gone? Looking down, Kakashi spotted an irritated looking Uchiha crouched down by his feet. Kakashi hopped back to escape a whirling leg that would have otherwise sent him facedown into an unappealing lunch of dirt.

The teacher glanced over at the other pair to check the progress of their battle. Apparently, Naruto thought it would be funny to use his shadowclones to dogpile Sakura.

Kakashi lowered his eyes to the book he was holding, blocking a knuckle sandwich with his free hand.

_Kanako giggled, unfazed. "But this is so exciting!" she laughed. _

_"But if the Chairman catches us, we're finished," I said. "Let's go somewhere else, before we end up regretting this."_

_"You don't think it's fun, doing this right under the chairman's nose?" she asked, pulling me closer. I-_

Kakashi pulled the small orange book out of the path of the kunai, wondering where Sasuke had hidden himself.

The boy in question was already finished making the seals necessary to blow a fire ball.

Kakashi looked down.

Sasuke funneled the flames through pursed lips, toward the direction that his teacher would inadvertently hold out his book when he turned around to discover Sasuke's hiding place...

Kakashi spun around, eyes falling on a flame-blowing Uchiha.

Oh, shit.

The fire enveloped the little book mercilessly, licking at Kakashi's fingers.

It was too late, so he let it go.

He watched the book fall.

"Sasuke," he began, pulling the forehead protector back down over his sharingan. "I thought I made myself clear, taijutsu only.

Sasuke stood, eyes reverted back to their natural color, and raised two unconcerned eyebrows.

"Oops."

Kakashi sighed. "That's it for today, team." He glanced over again at Naruto and Sakura, and his visible eye widened.

Sakura had Naruto pinned down on his back, with a knee between his legs, and his ear between her teeth. Upon realizing they were being watched, she released the poor ear, and, blushing furiously, rolled off of a very confused Naruto. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well," Kakashi began, nursing a partially cooked finger. "Fifteen hundred hours on Monday, as usual." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving his three pupils alone.

The walk home was uncomfortably quiet.

When they reached the intersection, Sasuke went his way, and Naruto and Sakura went theirs, silent as before.

Passing rows of houses, the pair continued, an unusual tension between them.

Sakura didn't feel like being ashamed, and contemplated speaking up, now that Sasuke was gone, but what would she say?

What's to be said about nibbling someone's ear? It was a bold gesture, and it should have spoken for itself, so Sakura stayed quiet.

Houses rose before them and fell behind them, and it wasn't long before Naruto's residence came into view. Sakura's would follow shortly after.

"Want me to walk you home?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence. He sounded more serious than usual; he was obviously thinking about Sakura's open flirtaciousness.

Usually, Sakura told him it was okay, he didn't have to, she didn't care, or on days when he was being just plain _extra_, she told him no, chill out, don't follow her! But he usually did it anyway.

Today she said, "Sure, if you want."

And Naruto noticed.

So they passed his place and continued toward Sakura's, still quiet. Sakura became anxious, wanting to say something more, to leave a deeper impression before time ran out and they arrived at her front door. She peered over at him casually, feeling the cool tingle of a fresh crush slide down her spine.

He looked over at her suddenly, feeling her eyes on him. Whatever conversation she had simmering in her throat, it died.

They walked quietly to her porch.

Sakura walked slowly forward, hoping Naruto would follow. He went as far as the edge of the porch and stopped. Sakura spun around quickly.

"Thanks, Naruto," she said eagerly. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he smiled.

As soon as thought entered her head, Sakura knew she didn't have much time before things got awkward; it was a split-second decision. After only half a moment's hesitation, Sakura stepped forward and, propping herself on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck.

If she executed this right, it would look as though she was just really grateful. If Sasuke were watching, he wouldn't yet be able to say the thing that she was afraid he was already thinking, the thing she denied vehemently everytime it crossed her mind.

Was she just settling for Naruto because Sasuke rejected her?

Of course not! As it was now, she couldn't even stand the thought of Sasuke.

Naruto froze, confused at the unfamiliarity of Sakura's hug. After a moment though, he brought his hands up and around her waist.

Hook...

Sakura lowered herself so that she stood on her feet, arms still draped around Naruto's neck. She savored the friction between their bodies as she slid down. Daringly, she looked up into his eyes.

Oh, they were pretty! Not just the color, but the shape.

A faint tinge of red dusted his cheeks.

Line...

"Sakura-chan," he said, averting his eyes. "Are you feeling okay?"

His voice, in its deepened glory, sounded provocative.

"Of course," she replied, pulling her arms down from around her neck, stroking the nape of his neck as she went. He stiffened. "I just feel guilty over taking you for granted, like you'll always be willing to walk me home. I'm sorry."

Sinker.

Naruto grinned uncontrollably.

"It's alright, Sakura-chan, I'll definitely walk you home any time!"

She smiled up at him, and he decided now was as safe a time as any.

"If you want, I can even walk you to the ramen stand!"

What luck! There was no way she could pass up this chance. But how should she say it?

For a second, Naruto regretted letting those words out of his mouth, not wanting a repeat of the last time he asked Sakura out.

"Sure," she answered, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Really?" he asked disbelievingly. "You'll really go to the Ichiraku with me?" He was looking directly into her eyes.

"Yeah," she said, trying not to sound as excited. As an afterthought, she asked, "Wanna go tomorrow?"

"For real?" he asked again, afraid it was to good to be true. "That's awesome!"

She smiled, and couldn't stop herself from giggling. That was confirmation enough for Naruto.

"All right!" he yelled. "I'll meet you at the intersection at twelve! Don't be late!"

"I won't," she said.

"Promise?"

"Promise," she said, smiling.

Naruto walked down the steps of her porch, and she walked forward. She turned the handle of the door, and looked over her shoulder.

Naruto had his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Don't forget!" he called.

Sakura turned and called back, "I won't!"

She waved as she watched him go, and then pushed the door open.

* * *

"What the hell, Akamaru? Going out _again_?"

The large dog grunted in the affirmative, turning toward the door.

"Arf!" he barked cheerfully, perhaps meaning "See you later," or possibly a daring "Don't wait up tonight." He padded out of the room.

Kiba sighed. Once again, he was alone at home on a Saturday while his dog was out snogging his girlfriend. Last weekend's excuse had been what, errands? Well, at least Akamaru's intentions were out in the open, now.

That didn't alleviate his boredom, though.

What to do?

Kiba pulled a clean shirt and a pair of green boxers from his chest of drawers.

Without Akamaru around, Kiba didn't much feel like training, and the last thing he wanted to do was stay in the house all day. This was exactly why he needed a girlfriend.

Suddenly, he hunched over, touching his fingertips to the carpet. Starting with his head, Kiba sent tremors running through his body, drying himself in a very dog-like manner. Drops of water flew from him, sprinkling all furniture and objects within a foot of him.He rose to a stand and pulled the boxers on under the towel wrapped around his waist.

It was only three o'clock, so there was plenty of daylight left. He pulled off the towel and tossed it onto the bed. Where should he go? He thought on it as he pulled the shirt over his head.

It would probably be best to go out and then decide what to do, before his mom had him slaving around the house. Just seeing Kiba sitting around doing nothing constructive irritated her to the point where she had him doing tedious tasks like rug-beating and floor-waxing. Why beat rugs wax floors when his time could be spent beating and waxing something else...?

But that something else was currently infatuated with Naruto right now.

It was too hot for jeans, so Kiba settled on a pair of khaki shorts. Grabbing a pair of black and white DC's, he headed for the window, so as not to be seen by his mother.

The air outside was warm. Kiba stuffed his hands into his pockets and crunched over the grass of his front lawn.

His feet carried him uncertainly away from his house, as he had not yet decided where to go. He wanted to go to Hinata's, but it probably wasn't a good idea; the Hyuugas were mad strict. Besides, what reason would he give for showing up there? It's not like he was her boyfriend or anything.

Kiba gazed down at the ground ahead of him thoughtfully. He really ought to have asked her out that last time, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. What had happened?

Without warning, Kiba walked into something soft. Probably a human.

"G-gomen! I-I sh-should have been pay-paying more atten-ten-tention!"

...Hinata? Kiba's gaze flew upward.

"Hinata?"

The female Hyuuga stood in front of him, hugging what looked like two giant bags of laundry.

"Oh! Ki-Kiba-kun," she breathed, relieved. "I'm sorry." She hugged the bags tighter, trying to keep them from slipping.

"Need help?" He asked, reaching for a bag.

"Oh, no! Kiba-kun, you d-don't have to-"

"It's fine," he interrupted, tossing the bag onto his shoulder. "I'm not doing anything, anyway."

"Arigatou," she mumbled.

Kiba walked alongside Hinata happily, gripping the bag beside his shoulder.

It would be such a waste not to use this opportunity to ask her out. She was right there! What was the worst that could happen? Her saying no, right?

But he really didn't want to hear her say that.

Hinata turned left onto a new street. She readjusted her bag so that it lay horizontally in her arms. Kiba glanced over at her.

"Want me to get that?" he asked.

"No!" She gasped. "I'm fine, thanks anyway."

"If you're sure..." he trailed off.

The silence was beginning to get awkward, and it occured to Kiba that this might be the best chance for him to ask Hinata out.

Really, now, what was stopping him? Seize the day, right? What better time was there?

Kiba cleared his throat. "Hey, Hinata?"

He had decided; he was going to do it! Nothing could stop him!

"Y-yes, Kiba-kun?" She looked over at him.

This would be tricky. How should he say this?

A clever thought struck him then; the oldest trick in the book!

"Uh, nevermind."

Hinata's eyebrows rose and drew closer.

"Oh... okay."

WHAT?! NO!

She didn't take the bait. What the hell was the matter with girls?

He needed to find a common thread, something they shared, something they had in common. They were on the same team, but how lame would it be to bring up training? No, that wouldn't work. What about this past Thursday?

"Actually, Hinata," he began, jolting the girl out of her own thoughts. "I was wondering..."

"Hai?"

...What was he wondering? What was he wondering?

"I was wondering," he stalled, "how..." Kiba racked his brain for something, and then anything, to ask about Thursday night. "How's your sweater doing?"

"What?"

What?!

"Uh..." Kiba said, straining to come up with an explanation. "I was just worried that... you might have forgotten it somewhere again."

"Oh," she said. "It's doing well, I guess. Actually, it's in that bag you're carrying."

"Oh," Kiba said stupidly. "That's good."

Can you say crash and burn?

Kiba was growing impatient. This wasn't working, and the Hyuuga compound was coming into view. He was running out of time.

Looking ahead, he couldn't help but think how big it was. They must have maids, right? But... if that was true, then...

"Why'd you do your own laundry?" Kiba blurted. "You have maids, right?"

"Ah!" Hinata squeaked nervously. "That is... um... I-I mean...we-well..."

It didn't matter right now, they were getting too close to Hinata's house. He had to say something.

"Hinata," Kiba said, interrupting Hinata's nervous stuttering.

"Y-yes?" she answered.

"I...uh, look, would you be my girlfriend?"

"What?! N-no!"

...No?

"No?"

"I-I'm s-sorry," She stammered, looking up at the boy. "I di-didn't mean t-to... th-that is, you... you st-startled me and... Ki-Kiba-k-kun, are y-you s-serious?"

"Yeah!" Kiba said, a little louder than necessary. "Hinata, do you have any idea how long I've liked you?"

"You li-like m-me?" repeated Hinata.

"Why do you think I asked you to be my girlfriend?"

"Ki-Kiba-kun," she stammered helplessly. "I.. had no idea..."

"You really didn't know? You couldn't tell when I invited you to dinner, or when I voluntered you to kiss the winner?"

"You invited Shino..."

"Shino invited himself!"

"K-Kiba," Hinata began, "I'm sorry. I... I can't return your feelings." She looked away, blushing. "There's... someone else I li-like. But... c-can we still be friends?"

They stopped in front of a gate. Kiba stared at her.

"What do you see in him, anyway?" he asked, irritated. "What's so great about him? That guy, does he even know you like him? Has he even noticed the way you look at him, or how you blush hard red whenever he talks to you? Why waste your time?"

"...I'm sorry," She repeated, eyes downcast.

The two stood still for a moment.

"You know what?" Kiba asked rhetorically. "Forget about it." He forced a smile, despite the anger rising in his throat. "It's none of my business, anyway."

"Kiba-kun..." she trailed off.

"You should probably go in now," Kiba said hastily, looking toward the house.

Hinata looked up at Kiba. "Thanks for helping me carry this home." She took the bag from Kiba, and opened the gate to let herself inside.

"Don't mention it," replied Kiba.

"I'll st-still see you on Thursd-day, right?" she asked, closing the gate. "It w-wouldn't be any f-fun without you."

"Yeah, sure," he said, turning. "See you."

Without looking back, Kiba walked away, all the while fighting down the rage in his throat. He wanted to yell at her, tell her how dumb she was for liking that blind idiot, but more than anything, he wanted to hold her, and give the attention she deserved, and he knew that yelling at her wouldn't make either of those things happen. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her feelings over his sour mood at his own rejection.

It's just... "no" was worse than he imagined.


	6. Easy Like Sunday Morning

Disclaimer: In winter, it's cold,

So wear a jacket. Also,

Naruto's not mine.

Author's note: Alright, so, at this point, the pace seems to be picking up, and hopefully, you'll notice that I'm constructing a center of gravitation for all of the earlier spontaniety to orbit. I want it all to come together smoothly. Thanks again for your patience, story/author alerts, favorite story/author nominations and reviews, they're much appreciated! Please eat tastily!

At the sound of footsteps, Hinata woke up. She rolled over to face the door, and noticed light peeking in from under her door.

What was going on? Who was awake?

"Byakugan," she whipered.

Glaring through the door, Hinata could see that Hanabi, her father, and a couple maids were up. And, there was someone else...

Neji!

Hinata was so glad she washed her sheets before he got home, otherwise, she'd never hear the end of it.

Relaxing her eyes, she got up, slipped on her slippers, and opened the door. Light flooded in.

"Neji," she said, walking out into the livingroom. "When did you get back?"

"An hour ago," he answered, turning. "We had to fill out paperwork."

"Ah," she replied. "Well, welcome back, then."

"Thank you."

"I'm sure you're tired, Neji," Hiashi spoke up. "You should go to sleep."

"Good night," Neji said, turning toward the hallway. Hinata left as well, thanking her lucky stars she'd had the sense to wash her sheets before Neji had a chance to look at them.

As a child, he used to use the Byakugan on her sheets and tease her ceaselessly for being a bedwetter.

_"That's disgusting, Hinata. Why don't you just get up and go to the bathroom? Once a baby, always a baby..."_

She didn't even want to think of what he'd say if he found out she was masturbating.

Hinata returned to her room, got under her covers, and breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

It was eleven thirty-six when Naruto woke up. He yawned, streching his arms out above his head. Four seconds later, he looked at the clock.

That's when he realized what time it was.

Hissing obscenities, he flew into the bathroom.

Naruto wasn't the type of guy who dealt with buttons on boxers. As far as he was concerned, it was much easier just to pull down the front of the boxers and go on with life. Why did they even put those little buttons on the front, anyway? Who wants to fumble around with buttons when it would be easier just to have an open hole? Why even have the hole, if guys were already used to pulling their meat out from the top? And in the morning, when it was hard, wouldn't it take more time to try to pull it out from the front?

Naruto pondered these things as he pulled his stiff member out of the boxers and leaned over the toilet. He urinated carefully so as not to hit the floor, all the while wondering if they'd ever put a hole in the ass of the boxers for easier bowel evacuation. That would be pretty gross. He stowed himself back in his boxers and flushed the toilet, because Naruto actually couldn't stand to see a toilet unflushed. He even brushed the bowl out after taking a dump, if he left streaks.

Naruto pulled off his boxers and stepped out of them in front of the shower area, wondering why he hadn't just taken them off earlier since he was about to bathe, anyway. Stepping over the tile, he turned a knob on the wall. A burst of cold water fell from the showerhead above Naruto's head, causing him to shiver. It ran over his head, down his face, onto his necklace, and then it warmed up.

Bending over, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo, and squeezed a quarter-sized coil into the palm of his hand. Straightening up, he rubbed his hands together, and then rubbed the shampoo into his now darkened blond hair. Suds formed, and soon the bathroom was filled with the scent of eucalyptus. Massaging his head, Naruto let his thoughts wander...

Today, he'd be taking Sakura-chan out for ramen. They'd sit on the stools and talk, and Naruto would make her laugh, and maybe she'd finally agree to go out with him!

...Did that mean she'd stopped liking Sasuke?

Now that Naruto thought about it, it did seem like Sakura had stopped liking Sasuke. He noticed that she didn't speak to him during training anymore, or even look at him, if she could help it. Was she mad at him?

What the hell had Sasuke done?

And she'd definitely been a lot friendlier with Naruto lately. She didn't tease him about liking her anymore, and just yesterday, she'd pinned him to the ground and nibbled his ear.

His dick pulsed.

"Ah," he groaned, grabbing it.

Had she been trying to seduce him? Or had that been some kind of technique she used, because she was a kunoichi and she wanted to win the match?

Naruto couldn't be sure. He dipped his head under the shower and rinsed his hair, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

He recalled the match, starting from where Sakura had boldly advanced toward him, not seeming to care that her front was wide open for attack. Naruto had stood still puzzled, and then she tackled him.

His organ was lengthening. He slid his hand up, and then down.

That was when she put her knee between his legs. Naruto had seriously been confused, but then she nudged his crotch. He now wondered if she had noticed that his rod had gotten hard. He was lying on the grass, completely defenseless against her tactics, and then she did the weirdest thing: she bit his ear.

And strangely, that turned him on.

He switched the water to cold. Since he didn't have time to masturbate before going to meet Sakura, this was all he could do to stave off an erection. The shock of the chilly water was effective; his penis now hung limply beneath a thick patch of straight, dark blond hair. He turned it back to warm.

Well, if Sakura-chan had really gotten over Sasuke, that was good. If only she had come to her senses sooner, maybe she'd be lying naked in his bed now, groggy and immobile from the previous night's passionate screwing. Hell, her ass and tits might be better for it, too, not that he really cared. She'd come a long way from the flat-chested twelve-year-old he once knew; now she was curvier, with a fuller bust...

Naruto had to lower the temperature of the water again in order to regain his composure. After rubbing a bar of soap in a washcloth and washing himself, he rinsed off and turned the water off. He hadn't been keeping track of time, so he rushed over to the sink and brushed his teeth hurriedly.

Gargle, spit.

He dove his hand into a plastic jar of extra-hold gel and scooped some out.

Directons: apply liberally to wet hair for the "wet look".

Naruto rubbed his flat palm into his hair and used his other hand to scoop out more gel. Using both hands, he distributed the gel evenly throughout his hair and pinched the tips of his hair to form his trademark spikes.

He ran back to his room, naked, and searched for clothes.

A black wifebeater, a white pair of boxers, his orange pants, the matching jacket... He glanced up at the clock.

Eleven fifty-three.

"Chikushou!" he swore.

He quickly stepped into his boxers, pulled his wifebeater on over his head, and scrambled for antiperspirant.

"Doko... doko..."

Aha! Under the bed!

After gliding it on under his arms, he hopped quickly, though one leg at a time, into his pants, pulled on his sandals, grabbed the jacket and his keys, and ran out of his room.

It was when he was halfway out of his front door that he realized he had forgotten his wallet. He ran back in, retrieved it, and hurried back out.

"I'm coming Sakura-chan," he said, locking the door.

And Naruto hit skates to get to the intersection, to Sakura.

* * *

Jingle, jingle.

Kakashi strode into the shop lazily as the shop-keeper looked up at him.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi," he rasped.

"Ohayo," replied Kakashi.

Within seconds, Kakashi found himself facing the "Sexuality" shelf, as he often had before. He effortlessly found the row of orange, and began the search to replace his copy of Icha Icha Executive Taboo, which was now a pile of ashes.

Kakashi sighed, annoyed.

His eye passed over seven copies of Icha Icha Explosion!, a collection of Jiraiya's more potent, and consequently, more plotless works. There were three copies of Icha Icha Fantasy, which wasn't really Kahashi's bag. He just didn't do syrupy fairytales, and he guessed that this book was an attempt to expand, to reach to a wider audience.

... But Kakashi didn't think women really liked to read sex novels.

... Or did they?

Kakashi pondered this as he looked for the familiar title. Icha Icha S&M, Icha Icha Ransom, Icha Icha Pathology... there! Squeezed between Icha Icha Innuendo and the classic Icha Icha Paradise was Icha Icha Executive Taboo.

He plucked it from the shelf and made his way to the front desk.

"Will that be all today?" asked the shop keep, scanning Kakashi's selection.

"Yes," Kakashi said, pulling out his wallet.

"That's strange," said the old man, adjusting his specs. "I could have sworn you just bought this."

"I did," explained Kakashi. "Unfortunately, while reading it, I had a run-in with a fire-breathing chuunin."

"I thought it was something to do with a stray dog," replied the shop keep, scratching his balding head.

"A dog?"

"Yes, but I guess I'm getting old after all." He placed the book in the bag. "Fifteen hundred yen, please."

"Yes..."

Kakashi paid for the book and stuffed his wallet back into his back pocket.

Jingle, jingle.

He walked out of the store, seriously contemplating what the shop keeper had said. It was possible that the old man had just had an Alzheimer's moment, but as a ninja, Kakashi couldn't be sure he could accept that. A ninja must look underneath the underneath, after all.

How could the old shop keep remember such a specific detail about an occurence when it hadn't happened?

It could only be one of two things: a short-term memory malfunction, or actual hearsay.

Kakashi doubted it was a short-term memory error, since the old man obviously remembered that he had bought the book before. It just didn't make sense that there was an extra detail that never happened...

...It sounded as though the shop keeper thought Kakashi was replacing the book...

...Again.

Judging from what the elderly man had said, Kakashi's last copy of Icha Icha Executive Taboo had met its end through an incident with a stray dog...

... But his last copy had been his first copy, and it was burnt to a million crisps in a bout of sparring with Sasuke, though he had clearly stated that the pairs were to use taijutsu only.

And what exactly was going on with Sakura and Naruto?

At any rate, it seemed that Kakashi losing his book to a stray dog was hearsay, but who would say something like that?

And why?

Kakashi might have continued to mull over the shop keeper's comment, but he had opened the book and subconsciously (in all his brilliant prodigical genius) flipped through the pages until he found a sentence that he did not recognize.

You see, he hadn't finished reading the book.

_I sighed. "Kanako..."

* * *

_

It was nice and toasty out, for a day in early spring. During this season, it seemed like the weather couldn't make up its mind. Would there be clear skies? Would it rain? Last year, it had snowed in April, so Sakura was always prepared for the worst. She was wearing a light, white windbreaker with her family's symbol in pink under her left shoulder, which was perfectly reasonable for this season's unpredictable weather.

Having nothing to say, she fiddled with the zipper.

"So," Naruto began awkwardly. "Uh... how about this weather?"

Sakura looked up to her left, and her eyes refocused as she experienced a moment of mild dizziness. She blinked a few times.

Was it that thrilling to be out with Uzumaki Naruto?

"Oh, yeah," she chirped, smiling. "I love it when it's warm out. I can't stand to be cold."

"Really?" he asked, scratching his head nervously. "I'm the same way! Don't even like air conditioning."

Sakura giggled, seriously doubting that.

"Naruto, you don't have to be so uptight around me," she said, narrowing her eyes coyly. "It isn't like you."

"Heheh," Naruto laughed fakely. "Yeah..."

"Seriously, relax! I'm not gonna eat you." She looked him fully in the eyes now.

"Aw, why not?" Naruto asked, pretending to pout. "I taste pretty good."

"What?" Sakura asked smiling, feigning incredulity. "Ew, Naruto, you're sick!" She giggled, balling her fist.

"Woah!" Naruto laughed raising a hand to block the impending punch. She giggled and swung.

Smack.

Naruto's eyes widened somewhat. He was apparently surprised that he was standing in the same place he was when Sakura landed the punch. It was clear now; she'd pulled it.

Sakura watched Naruto's eyebrows raise in confusion, and after like, two seconds, she realized that they had stopped walking, that their hands were still touching. Naruto noticed it, too, from the way he was looking down at her fist in his palm.

Sakura looked down, too, and watched his fingers curl over her fist, cupping it in what Sakura thought was a subtle sign of affection. She raised her head to get a look at his expression.

He was licking his lips, brow furrowed- Sakura assumed he was wracking his brain for a way to say something sentimental, but, you know, however a guy would say it.

"Sakura..."

"Yeah?"

"...You should wear stuff like that more often."

"Huh..?" Sakura queried, looking down at the target of Naruto's pointed gaze. The zipper of her jacket had slid down low enough to reveal a revealing low-cut top. The cleavage of her bust was just barely peeking out, attracting Naruto's attention.

"Naruto!" she squealed, pink tinging her face. She jerked the zipper up.

Naruto snickered.

"Oh, that's funny, is it?" She jerked her fist back and prepared to steal Naruto, but he took off running. Sakura chased, smiling.

They reached the Ichiraku laughing. Sakura threw another pulled punch, and Naruto blocked it effectively.

"Naruto, you pervert," Sakura gasped, still smiling. She let herself fall against him when the next punch missed him entirely.

"Aw, Sakura-chan," Naruto growled seductively. "I'm sorry, don't be mad at me."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and her stomach flipped. She pulled herself from Naruto's grasp.

"Wh-what? No, I'm not mad, I know you were joking." She felt her face heat up, and raised a hand to her cheek to chech the temperature. She'd had no idea that Naruto could be so... sexy.

She braved eye contact.

He was smirking.

Apparently, he was on to her.

_No, no,_ Sakura thought, shaking her head. _He doesn't know anything unless I tell him._

_Not with you flirting so hard, _admonished Inner Sakura. _Anyone could see you're sprung, even Naruto._

_I'm not sprung,_ parried Sakura.

_Right,_ argued Inner Sakura. _Face it, you're spiralling out of control._

_I'm not..._

"Daijoubu?" asked Naruto.

"Eh?" Sakura asked. "Oh, yeah, I'm good. Where are we sitting?" She pulled off her jacket, and slung it over her arm.

"Uh, anywhere's good, I don't care."

"Um, okay, then..." Sakura looked around the stand, and spotted two nearby empty stools. "Is there okay?" She pointed.

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "Sakura, are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" she queried in a deliberately slow manner, but not so slow as to sound sarcastic, because that totally wasn't what she was going for. She looked at him questioningly.

"I dunno, you just changed moods so fast," Naruto explained. He quickly added, "Not that you're moody or anything like that. You're definitely not moody."

A crack of thunder sounded, and Naruto jumped. Sakura looked at him quizically.

Okay, maybe he wasn't on to her.

"Oh, I was just thinking," Sakura answered. "Sorry about that."

"So I didn't make you... uncomfortable?"

"No, of course not."

"What can I get you two?" asked the chef.

"Three pork flavor, please," Naruto ordered.

"Yes, and for the lady?"

"Um," Sakura began. "I'll just have chicken flavor."

Exactly seven minutes later, all four bowls were placed in front of them, accompanied by two sets of chopsticks. Naruto scooped up both pairs and handed one to Sakura.

"Arigatou," she said. They each snapped their chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu," they said in unison,

Except for the sound of rain and chatter, it was quiet. They ate silently at first, unsure of what to say. It was Naruto who spoke up first.

"Ano.. Sakura-chan?"

"Eh?" she answered pulling her eyes away from the comfortably hypnotic noodles.

"Ano... how come you decided to come here with me today?"

Woah! Awkward.

Sakura scrambled for an answer that wasn't too obvious, but hinted that she MIGHT be attracted to him. Maybe.

"Well," she began. "I mean, you know... I'm always taking you for granted and..."

"And?"

"...I mean, I just feel like I never really got to know you very well-"

"Uh huh-"

"And I've been so close-minded, you know? Like...you know, like I wasn't really here..."

"Uh huh..."

"And like I kind of missed out on a lot, you know? And I mean, like, you're so..."

"Yeah?"

"...Like, I know it seems like, you know, like... yeah, but like I think you're like..."

"I'm like..."

"You're like... so different now, and-"

"Different?" Naruto asked. "Is that a good thing?"

"Well, I mean like... yeah, I guess so. I mean, you know, not that you weren't cool before."

"You think I'm cool?"

"Well... yeah."

"So basically," Naruto summarized, "You're here with me because you think I'm cool?"

"...Yeah."

"Well, I think you're cool, too, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked up, not realizing that she had been staring into her bowl of soup again. Naruto was smirking, well, kind of, you know, but not as hard as he usually was. It was like he was all like, "Yeah, I know what that really means."

She smiled and lowered her eyes.

* * *

"Not cool," Kiba complained, holding his arms over his head. It was really coming down today, and it was chilly. The one day he forgot to put on his coat was the day it rained, and he might have remembered it had he not been so deep in thought, but he couldn't help it. He had reached the breaking point of his patience, and he wasn't very patient to begin with. Still, he had withstood his secret, though not so secret, crush on Hinata for quite a while. This only proved to him that good things don't always come to those who wait. Maybe it was a little dramatic, but Kiba felt like brooding. He dropped his arms to his sides.

Despite the chilly rain, Kiba was hot with anger. What was the reason, really? Why'd she like Naruto and not him? What was the difference? That guy was loud, easily excitable, and kind of slow. No disrespect, but that guy wouldn't know a girl liked him if she tattooed his name on her forehead and told him she wanted his kids. Hinata was being really thick. Fists clenched, he walked on.

A warm-looking glow came into view from under a nearby stand. From the smell and the quickly disappating wisps of smoke, Kiba recognized it as the Ichiraku. He sped to a run, hurrying to get out of the rain.

Upon reaching the stand, he resisted the urge to shake himself dry. He settled for smoothing back his now soggy hair.

"What can I get you?" asked the ramen lady.

"Uh..." Kiba stalled, "I'll take beef ramen, if you don't mind." The least he could do was order something, since he'd be sitting under their ramen stand.

"Of course," she chirped.

Kiba took a seat on a vacont stool, and rested his elbows on the counters. It was at that moment that he heard a painfully familiar laugh, and swiveled around to find the source.

_Naruto!_

And there he was, seated not too far from Kiba, right next to Sakura.

Kiba wasn't sure how to react, so he sat and stared. On one hand, he felt wronged that Hinata was pressed over someone that quite obviously liked someone else, so he was mad. On the other hand, he wondered if Hinata ever felt like he did now, watching the object of her affection fawn over another girl, so he felt bad for Hinata. Everyone and their mom knew that Sakura liked Sasuke.

Or did she?

Kiba had never seen her act so... so girly with Naruto. It was almost like she was _flirting_.

What the hell was going on?

Sakura giggled, and flipped her hair a lot, and she kept giving him those slitted bedroom eyes. Then, Naruto, whose back was facing Kiba, mumbled something that made Sakura squeal "Chotto!" like how girls usually do. And then, Sakura did something so... _not like her._

She punched Naruto, right, but he didn't go anywhere.

Well, he slid back a little bit.

Then, he swiveled around.

"Hey, Kiba!" He waved.

"Oh," answered Kiba slowly, still confused. "Hey..."

"Your ramen," said the ramen lady as she placed Kiba's bowl on the counter.

"Arigatou," he replied, watching Naruto rise from his stool and walk toward him.

"What are you doing here?" the blond asked stupidly. Before Kiba could answer with another question ("What's it look like?"), Sakura spoke up.

"He's obviously here to eat, Naruto."

Kiba's head turned to the sound of her voice. Up close, she was pink in the face, and looked like she couldn't stop smiling.

...Was it possible that she liked Naruto now?

When had that happened?

What, was she tired of Sasuke shitting on her now?

Weird...

"Oh," Naruto replied, grinning. "Yeah..."

"So what are you guys doing here?" Kiba asked quickly, narrowing his eyes for that "What's really going on?" look.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped, looking at Naruto from the corners of her eyes.

She bit her lip.

There was no doubt in Kiba's mind now, Sakura was flirting with Naruto! She did the sexy lip bite! That's like the most obvious sign there is that a girl likes you!

Naruto, of course, didn't seem to think anything of it. Grinning, he announced, "We're on a date!" and Sakura's face reddened further.

"Naruto!" she squealed, averting her eyes to the floor.

Kiba waited to hear her say anything else, but she didn't. No denial, no violence, nothing...and that was as good as an admission.

"Seriously?" Kiba asked, staring pointedly at Sakura, who looked like she might piss herself with pleasure. It seemed like she really was crushing on Naruto, and Naruto seemed to have at least an asshair of a clue.

"Definitely," confirmed the whiskered ninja.

_Sucks for Hinata,_ thought Kiba indifferently. He was still kind of mad about being turned down the day before. And then he was struck with an epiphany...

Before Kiba even realized what he was saying, the invitation slithered casually out of his mouth. Sakura looked up, and Naruto raised his eyebrows in a way that looked like he'd had his own epiphany.

"Hey, yeah!" Naruto said, a little louder than necessary. "That would definitely be awesome! You should definitely come, Sakura-chan!"

"You're talking about the restaurant you went to last time?" Sakura asked, smiling.

"Yeah!"

"Well..."

Kiba watched Sakura, amused. She was pretending to consider the offer, talking shit about wondering whether or not she had plans that evening, and Naruto was eating it, pleading with her to come.

That was the difference between Kiba and Naruto.

Maybe Hinata was intimidated by smart guys. If her cousin was any indication of a smart guy, Kiba didn't blame her; the guy had tried to kill her during the chuunin exams. And even though Neji was cool now, you still don't forget something like that. Still, if that was the reason, it wasn't fair that Kiba had been shot down because of something some other guy did.

But that didn't matter, because Hinata was going to get a reality check soon...

"Sakura, come on," Naruto coaxed. "Say you'll go with me."

She bit her lip again. Kiba smiled.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll go."

"Sweet," Kiba said, snapping his chopsticks.


	7. For the Win?

Disclaimer: Naruto is not the property of Starberry Pie or any affiliated parties.

Author's note: I know... it's been like... 3 years? And I know you're all probably mad about it, but at least I'm finishing what I started. Get ready!

Sweet wasn't a good word to describe Anko. That's not to say she couldn't be sweet occasionally, but in general, she wasn't a sweet person. When Shikamaru came dragging himself home from his mission last night, she didn't seem to care what he wanted to do with the rest of his night. She just came flying out from wherever she'd been hiding and slammed him up against the front of his apartment.

"Hi, Anko."

"Whadja bring me?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and reached into his knapsack. After about a minute of rustling around, he pulled out a small cylindrical package and tossed it toward his assailant as admission. Shoving past her, he let himself into his apartment.

"Thank you," she chirped.

There wasn't much to unpack: a flask, some chicken wire, a strip of leather, and an empty matchbox fell onto his bed. He scanned the pile quizically, then darted a hand toward the topmost left pocket of his vest. He felt a hard, jagged surface, and pulled out a small, off-white statuette.

A relieved sigh escaped him.

"What's that?" Anko asked from the door, unwrapping her package. A small bottle of spirits emerged from the paper. She removed the cork and poured the contents of the bottle down her throat without a moment to spare, then busied herself with examining the unlabeled bottle. When no answer came, she looked up. Shikamaru was frowning. "And your problem is...?"

"It was a pain to find that," he replied.

"I believe you," she countered, rolling the little bottle over in her hands. "I'm sure you killed more than just one bird with this stone, though."

"Of course..." he trailed off, turning. It was true that Shikamaru had used the errand to his advantage, but that was beside the point.

"What took you so long, anyway?" she asked, unconcerned about whether or not she was imposing. "I waited a really long time for you to show up."

"Good for you," he anwered, setting his statuette on the night stand next to his bed. "I assume you're still here because you have some unappealing favor to ask me."

"Actually, it's more of a demand." Anko shrugged off her overcoat and pulled Shikamaru from the opposite side of the bed down onto it. She loomed over him as he gazed up - wherever up was - into her... breasts? Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"...You do the work."

Now it was two o'clock in the afternoon the next day, and Anko hadn't woken up yet. If he hadn't just returned from a mission, he might not have gotten any sleep. Anko snored like a fucking rocket. Shikamaru glanced over at the sleeping jounin and shook his head.

He didn't dislike Anko, but he never got any warning before she came over. He could be in the middle of "releasing the kraken", so to speak, and Anko would kick the bathroom door open. Of course she ordered him to shower first that time, which was even more annoying, but he drew the line at letting her help. She played too rough for him to be comfortable with her handling the crowned jewels.

Knock, Knock.

Shikamaru frowned. It was way too early for visitors, but of course somebody had to come over and bother him.

"Who's that?" Anko yawned, stretching. Shikamaru rose from the bed in his t shirt and boxers to see about the knock.

It was probably Shizune, come to ask that Shikamaru please complete some form he had ignored the night before, she wouldn't ask nicely next time. Or maybe it was Tsunade herself, tired of hearing about Shikamaru's refusal to cooperate with the paperwork. Then again, she would have broken the door. It could also be his mother...

Shikamaru opened the door. There stood a silent, although anxious-looking, Uchiha Sasuke.

"What?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hey Sasuke!" Anko yelled from the bed. Shikamaru grimaced and stepped outside, closing the door behind himself.

"Why are you here?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke glanced down, and then back up with a highly raised eyebrow.

Shikamaru was still in his underwear. He shrugged.

"I understand you went to Iwagakure," Sasuke said.

"I understand you have some pointless vendetta," Shikamaru replied.

Sasuke examined Shikamaru closely, and noticed a collection of minor scrapes on his face arms. He also noticed some burns, the biggest of which stretched across his neck. Shikamaru studied the movement in Sasuke's eyes, and guessed the nature of his injuries had been revealed.

"So what, now?" Shikamaru asked, rolling his eyes. "It's not like you'll find anything."

Sasuke smirked. "...It existed."

"Whatever," Shikamaru said dismissively. "If you've got time to figure out things everyone already knows, you should use it to get laid." He turned and opened his door to return to bed. Sasuke turned and started home, brow furrowed.

By now, everyone probably did know why Shikamaru, Neji, and Chouji had been dispatched to Iwagakure. The elders had to have been informed of the four-tailed beast's imprisonment and the involvement of the Akatsuki.

All Sasuke cared about was how much longer he had until they came for Naruto. When only Naruto was left, that was when Itachi would come.

That was when Itachi would die.

So that was why Sasuke stuck around.

He could never learn enough, never train enough to satisfy himself. He sucked up everything he could, every new technique that might help him kill Itachi, but he knew in the back of his mind that he'd already learned everything worth learning... that Itachi had already learned everything this country had to teach.

Sasuke was bored.

Sasuke was restless!

...

Sasuke was bored. It was just a matter of time now, but Sasuke was reconsidering whether he had the patience to wait for the spring in his mousetrap to snap...

The snap of a twig behind Sasuke set off a chain reaction: the activation of the Uchiha sharingan, a flurry of hand signals, and a large globe of fire soaring toward the noise. The flames met the trunk of a dead tree and enveloped it, crackling. With no one present before him, Sasuke spun around to meet Sai.

"Careful," Sai chirped. "You almost hit me."

Sasuke sneered and passed Sai without allowing any part of his being to touch the ANBU operative.

"I saw what you did to Sakura," Sai called without turning around.

"If you liked that," Sasuke replied as he continued forward, "you'll love what I did to your mom last night."

Sai smiled.

"Not as much as I would love to have your mom's pretty lips around my dick, but I don't suppose that will ever happen." Sasuke stopped.

If he killed Sai now, all his work would be for nothing.

"All right, I'll bite. You must have a point."

"It is because of Sakura and Naruto that you are here. I'll thank you to remember that."

"I don't care for your thanks."

"You won't care for my reminders."

They stood with their backs facing eachother.

"I can't wait to kill you," Sasuke snarled.

"You know how to reach me."

Sasuke walked forward, knowing that Sai was gone.

Maybe he was guilty as charged in the case of unnecessary roughness against Sakura, but he didn't regret it. His cruelty had served its purpose. He was a little surprised that Sakura had managed to ignore him this long... it probably had something to do with her transference of affection to Naruto.

Sasuke laughed.

He didn't know whether to be disgusted that she was a flake or respect her for accepting his disinterest. Really, he didn't care. Someday he would have to develop a relationship with some woman so that he could begin the continuation of his family, and Sakura didn't seem like a viable choice. He could do worse to her than humiliate her in the dark, and she had to know that on some level. Any attempt at a union would shrivel and die.

The truth was that everybody was dead, and he alone shouldered the burden. Sakura wanted a meaningful relationship, passionate lovemaking, and sensitivity toward her opinions. Sasuke didn't want to give her or anyone else any of that, and couldn't be sure if he even had the emotional capacity.

He understood that he was different, and didn't consider love or other "nice" feelings a waste of energy. He simply didn't consider them. That's not to say that he didn't acknowledge them or believe in them- there was just nothing constructive he could do with them. He had no use for love. He supposed that he would reach an agreement with a woman someday, but there was nothing to be gained from embittering Sakura.

Sakura arrived at the training ground to find Naruto panting before a fallen tree. The hole blasted through the trank gave it away: rasengan. The rustling grass under her feet signaled her arrival, and Naruto turned...

"Sakura-chan!" he called, waving.

As she walked over to meet him, she sighed. Could it really be this easy? Had she been looking for happiness in the wrong place this whole time? Was it really as easy as opening her mind to the idea that Naruto could be boyfriend material?

Naruto licked his lips, flicking his tongue at Sakura.

_No, no,_ she thought, grimacing. _I'm not going to let him ruin this... Just ignore it!_

_You can't be serious, _Inner Sakura snorted. _You really don't like Naruto, do you?_

_ I like him, _Sakura thought, approaching the boy in question.

"So, Sakura-chan, how about Ichiraku later?" Naruto asked while sliding a hand through his hair in an over-the-top attempt at sexiness.

_ You __**want**__ to like him,_ argued Inner Sakura, _but you haven't had enough time yet, so you're faking it! Hah! You're probably not over Sasuke, either! I bet if __**he**__ asked you out for ramen, you'd drop Naruto in a heartbeat-_

"Not even!" Sakura cried.

All you could hear was the wind rustling through the trees. Naruto's eyes widened.

_...Shit!_

_ Way to go, Loudmouth! _hissed Inner Sakura

"Haha!" Sakura giggled forcefully. With as little force as she could, she pressed her palms against Naruto's chest and barely pushed him aside. She giggled again and ran, hoping with everything she had that he'd take the bait. She braved a glance over her shoulder.

Naruto squinted in confusion.

_Come on... _Sakura prayed, willing him to move.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed. "Playing hard to get, huh?"

_ Yes...!_

Naruto chased after Sakura, and Sakura continued to run.

_Good save, _Inner Sakura said.

_I don't like Sasuke! _Sakura thought. _I don't think I really even loved him... _She ducked under a tree branch, drawing out her game with Naruto. _I loved the __**idea**__ of him... I loved a version of him that doesn't exist, as far as I know... a figment that I had made up._

Naruto ran into the tree branch face first.

_ Well, that's a waste, _Inner Sakura remarked.

_ You're telling me,_ Sakura replied. _But I think I could really love Naruto. He already does something that Sasuke only did in my dreams._ Sakura glanced backward again, but Naruto had disappeared.

"What the-"

A soft thud stopped her. She looked up to find that she had run right into Naruto.

"I win," he smirked, and vanished with a poof.

Sakura instictively spun around to find the real Naruto behind her. He stepped forward.

Sakura stepped back, unwittingly trapping herself between Naruto and a tree. Naruto took another step forward, leaving barely an inch between them. Sakura was stunned.

Naruto place a forearm on the trunk, just above Sakura's head, and looked down at her. He lowered his face to hers and hovered there a moment before closing his eyes.

_He actually likes me,_ Sakura thought, closing her eyes. She felt the warmth of his breath on her mouth, and opened hers...

A rustle from above cut the moment short. They both opened their eyes in just enough time to see Sasuke's back headed toward another silhouette... Kakashi-sensei.

Naruto looked back down into Sakura's face with a puzzled look. She shrugged.

"I guess we better get started training," she said.

"Yeah," Naruto said, straightening up. "Let's go."

_ Darn, foiled!_ Inner Sakura seethed.

_There's plenty of time for that,_ thought Sakura. _There's one thing I know for sure, though: I wouldn't be caught dead in a room alone with Sasuke._

"You're partners with Sasuke."

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?" yelled Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei, what is the meaning of this?"

Kakashi unzipped a pouched attached to his pants, and pulled out a brand new novel in the Icha Icha series: Icha Icha Abuse. He cleared his throat.

"Since _some _of you don't understand the difference between jutsu and taijutsu," Kakashi began while looking daggers at Sasuke through his exposed eye, "We'll be sparring again today, only with different partners."

"No fair!" Naruto whined. "_I_ wanted to be partners with Sakura-chan!"

"You can't always get what you want. Begin!"

Sasuke looked at Sakura. She looked very much like she was about to engage in a battle: anxious, uncertain, and determined. For lack of a better word, Sasuke supposed she looked "cute", considering the circumstances. Hardly a week ago, she had confessed to masturbating to thoughts of him, and now she was facing him in combat.

Maybe "pitiful" was a better word.

Maybe not.

There was something different about Sakura today, something that wouldn't allow him to pity her. Still, it wouldn't be good to treat her differently; he was still going to go easy on her. No point in wasting energy.

Sakura felt like vomitting.

_It's not a big deal,_ She thought, trying to calm herself. _It's just one sparring session, and then it will be over. Just don't think about it._

A throwing star came speeding straight at her face. She deftly plucked it out of the air and tossed it away.

If he wasn't going to take it seriously, why should she?

Another throwing star came flying, then a kunai from behind. Both were deflected and fell to the ground. Sakura was bored.

Yet another kunai came soaring.

_Is this all he's going to do?_

She caught it by the handle. Green eyes met black eyes, and Sakura turned and started to walk away. Suddenly, the kunai in her hand began to wriggle. Sakura looked down to find a snake writhing in her hand. She glanced over her shoulder at Sasuke, dropped it, crushed the head with her heel, and continued walking.

"Prick," she mumbled to herself.

A hand errupted from from the ground below Sakura and gripped her ankle tight. Glancing behind her, she realized that Sasuke had hidden himself underground. She slammed her other foot into the ground, breaking Sasuke's hold on her foot as well as his hiding spot beneath her.

Sasuke emerged from the ground before the shockwave could break any of his bones. After a series of hand signals, he found footing in the air. Another set of hand signs sent a storm of fireballs sailing toward Sakura. She dodged them as she ran back toward the trees.

Sakura knew she shouldn't take it personally, that it was just a sparring match, but she couldn't help feeling put upon. She didn't want to fight Sasuke, or even look at him for that matter, but Kakashi was forcing her to do both. What could she do? If she actually put effort into it, Sasuke would just embarass her. If she didn't do anything, he'd still embarass her. She wasn't sure if she could win, but losing was not an option... She supposed she'd have to hold out until the end...

Though she wound through the trees, she knew she'd entered another one of his traps. At any moment, Sasuke could come flying out with some surprise attack and knock the breath out of her. Up ahead, she saw him leaned against a tree. She stopped.

"You're not fighting back," Sasuke said.

Sakura frowned. "I don't want to."

Sasuke figured she didn't want to, but he thought she'd at least be mature enough to suck it up. He could have ended this a long time ago, but thought he'd give her a fighting chance.

"Neither do the ninja that risk their lives in battle," Sasuke said, "but that's why we train. Sometimes you fight when you don't want to." Sakura was taken aback.

"Please," she sneered. "You live to fight. Besides, you're not an enemy. You're just a guy I'm sparring-"

Sasuke had disappeared and reappeared behind her, sharingan activated. A knee to the back sent Sakura flying toward a tree. She whirled around in midair so that she could launch herself off the tree and land safely on her feet.

"It's your own fault," Sasuke shot back cooly. Sakura's eyes widened.

_No he didn't...!_ Inner Sakura whispered. _I __**know**__ he didn't just take it there!_

"Yeah?" Sakura smirked. "Maybe it is, but you handled it like a fucking baby, Sasuke! Finish up your attack so I can go home and whack off to a _real_ man!"

_Oh, shit, seriously?_

POW!

Sasuke's foot slammed into Sakura's face. She spun before she hit the ground with a hard "thud". Sasuke loomed over her.

Maybe "pathetic" was the right word.

Sakura lifted herself up onto her feet, despite the fact that her head still felt like Sasuke was playing soccer with it. She knew he was glaring at her, but she just couldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her affected by something he did. She walked past him without so much as a glance of acknowledgement.

Sasuke wasn't sure why, but Sakura was _really_ getting on his nerves today. She was talking very boldly for someone who had just been begging him to screw her last week. She brought it on herself, so why was she acting like he was bothering her?

Admittedly, he'd liked the idea of getting a rise out of her, but now she was pretending he wasn't even there. This had to end, now.

Sasuke teleported in front of Sakura and threw her up against another tree, holding her by her neck. She refused to make a sound even though she started feeling dizzy from the lack of oxygen. He released his grip just before she passed out, and she fell to the ground gasping and coughing.

"You won't fight me?" Sasuke asked.

"No," Sakura choked, rising to her feet. "Now fuck off!"

Sasuke turned, and lifted the hem of his shirt. He slowly pulled it over his head and turned back around, revealing the beautifully sculpted abdomen over which Sakura had fantasized about spreading honey.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

In an instant, Sasuke's pale and shirtless form was replaced with the tan and shirtless form of Naruto. Sasuke smirked.

"Sakura-chan," he crooned, resting a forearm above her head. "Have _my_ babies."

"You're a dick," she weezed.

"Please...?"

An unpleasant thing happened then. With as much force as would inflict pain but not destroy, Sakura threw her knee into Sasuke's no-no zone. Sasuke jumped back, assuming his original form.

Not even a cup could withstand that.

Sakura stormed away from the area, stomping past an angry Kakashi holding a blood-soaked copy of Icha Icha Abuse and a nude female Naruto.

Poof!

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called. "Sakura-chan, wait!"

"Naruto!" yelled Kakashi, "I said taijutsu only!"

Kakashi sighed as he watched Naruto chase an obviously irate Sakura, and turned to go home.

"I guess training is done for today," Kakasi muttered.

Two minutes later, Kakashi discovered Sasuke, doubled over next to a pool of sick.

"...What the...?"


End file.
